World-Wide Protests Confront the Corporate
Warpigs
by Preston Peet- for DrugWar.com
all photos by author
Forefather George Washington and Ralph Nader
meet at Wall Street
October 8, 2002
President
George W. Bush, surrounded
by warpigs
and chickenhawks
pushing for ever
more war, is
desperately urging the US and the world to consider and support
a distracting but destructive war on Iraq, rather than gaze behind
the domestic curtain at Wall
Street thievery and the US
economy going to hell in a handbasket. The airwaves are full
of talking heads promoting the warpigs' policies- former military
officers giving their "opinions" on how the war might
progress and why we absolutely have to go in there right now and
murder that Saddam Hussein and however many of his fellow Iraqis
who find themselves in the crosshairs. But many of the people
who will make up the rank and file troops for such a war, or will
have to pay for any such war, are taking to the streets to let
their leaders know they are not being taken in, that not only
do they not want any more misdirection, hatemongering or murderous
wars, they want answers, accountability and justice.
Stop the
White Men Performance Troupe
Most of the anti-war protests have so far been
peaceful, with few confrontations with the police. Considering
the reaction on
the part of the authorities to some other recent protests-
mass
arrests, pepper
spray, billy
clubs and rubber
bullets all used in putting the fear into those daring to
show their discontent publicly- by simply braving more of the
same treatment the depth of the protestors' feelings about the
current state of affairs should be obvious to those they elect
into office.
Hogtie Corporate Gluttons at Wall Street
Last weekend, Sept. 28, at least 150,000 people,
with numbers possibly as high as 400,000 or more, marched in London
saying no to a war on Iraq. Huge protests were held that same
weekend in Rome, Sydney, Madrid, and Washington DC. On Sunday,
Oct. 6, simultaneous protests were held around the world, numbering
anywhere from 50 people in Manchester, New Hampshire to an estimated
1.5 million people all over Italy, between 10 and 20,000, possibly
even more in Central Park, New York City, 8,000 in San Francisco,
and 5,000 in the streets of Portland, Oregon, among the many mass
protests.
There's unrest amongst the rank and file
Mop up Big Oil and other terrorist-supporters
On Friday, October 4, DemocracyRising
organized a
protest attended by approximately 3,000 people, (this reporter's
estimate) held on the steps of Federal Hall, facing the New York
Stock Exchange. This protest focused on corporate crime, and called
for an end to the pounding of war drums. Phil
Donahue emceed the event, introducing such speakers as former
NYC Public Advocate Mark
Green, Medea
Benjamin, founder of the Global
Exchange, and performers like Patti
Smith. Richard
Grasso, head of the New York Stock Exchange was invited to
address the crowd to explain the Exchange's reform packages, but
he neglected to appear.
"Our focus needs to be here at home
instead of abroad," said Ron
Daniels, Executive Director of the Center
for Constitutional Rights. "We are going to conquer greed
and lies tearing up this country. We need a crusade in this country.
There can be no democracy without corporate accountability."
"Join me in issuing pink slips to the corporate
raiders," said Brian
McLaughlin, President of AFL-CIO’s NY
Central Labor Council. "We will replace politicians who
put corporations and profits before people."
Patti Smith tells it like it is
"There is no insignificant act of charity,"
said Patti Smith as she read from one of her poems. She invited
the crowd to "Come march on Washington on October 26,"
when another anti-war protest is planned.
On the Federal Hall steps in lower Manhattan
"We're gathered here because we are concerned
that nothing is being done about the worst case of grand larceny
in US history," former Green Party Presidential candidate
in 2000 and keynote speaker Ralph
Nader told the crowd. "We're here because of the question-
Is Wall Street corrupt? Yes it is, and it's getting bigger all
the time. It's come down to millions of Americans who trusted,
and what did they get for trusting?" Nader pointed out that
overall trillions of dollars were lost by those investors, and
subsequently the taxpayers, taken in by the corporate thieves,
and that many lost hope for a rosy future. "They got busted
by the Enrons,
the Global
Crossings and by the gatekeepers. They looked the other way,
the gatekeepers, because they got paid to look the other way.
It's not like the gatekeepers didn't see what was coming."
A different sort of gatekeeper, along with
their dog,
protecting Wall Street from peaceful protesters
Railing against the utter lack of corporate
accountability to the public many corporations and the politicians
who protect them have ripped off, Nader said, "Corporations
were never designed to be our masters, they were designed to be
our servants. This was the second time around for this corporate
crime wave. Remember the Savings
and Loans? Did the corporate crooks learn anything from that?
They learned they can get away with it. We will know the laws
pertain to everyone when we have busloads of the corporate criminals
being taken off to jail." As drastic as the situation is,
the corporate heads are still insisting that more internal institutional
honesty is all that's needed, just some healthy self--regulation.
"The Wall Street executives still don't understand. Exhortation
will get us nowhere. It's time to take back control of our lives."
Nader waved at the Stock Exchange just to his right. "They
have turned the Stock Exchange into a casino riddled with corruption
and crimes."
Justifications for war, such as national
security, liberation or spreading freedom in Iraq,
Afghanistan,
or any other country where the US takes military action do not
ring true, they come across as downright hypocritical, especially
when taking into account the despot
dictators, drug traffickers,
arms
trafficking extortionists, and terrorists
the US
supports around the world as a matter of course, and the corporate
terrorists who get away clean again and again here in the
US.
Leaders elected by the people, (leaving the
disturbing implications of the 2000
election debacle out of consideration for the moment), can
afford to ignore the electorate for only so long. The people grow
tired of the lies, the
secrecy, the wars, the shelling out good money after bad.
They want to know why their elected
leaders do business with the same people they now want to bomb.
They want to know why their elected
officials are withholding the details of what took place at
meetings
held behind closed doors where public policy was made with
the active involvement of corporate heads who cooked their company
books, gouged their customers and investors, lobbied their government
pals for bailouts and taxcuts, laid off thousands of employees,
then kept the profits. It's extremely difficult for many people
to trust their government about the reasons for war when so many
government officials themselves cannot be trusted.
Remember, it's not just people getting screwed
Links
Nader
leads Wall Street protest against corporate crime
"Ralph Nader, an anti-establishment icon for decades, attacked
crime in corporate America on Friday under a Wall Street statue
of George Washington," reports Verena Dobnik for the Associated
Press.
Ralph
Nader takes on Wall Street
"Could consumer-advocate Ralph Nader do for Wall Street
what he did for Detroit?" asks David Schepp for the BBC.
Bush
says Iraq can still avert war
Bush also says he's not holding his breath that Saddam will accept
Bush's stipulations.
Bush
details Iraq's terrorist ties
"President Bush says the threat from Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction don't just come from Iraq itself -- but from the terrorists
he says Iraq is allied with," reports the Associated Press.
Thousands
Rally in the US Against War With Iraq
"Marchers called President George W. Bush a 'warmonger,'
'racist' and 'irresponsible.'," reports Karen Gaudette for
the Associated Press.
Protesters
oppose U.S. action on Iraq
A collection of articles detailing protests around the US, as
well as some great photos.
Antiwar
voices rise, but with twist
"From Washington to Rome and from London to Sydney, the peace
signs, the antiwar slogans, and the chants that rallied hundreds
of thousands of demonstrators against an invasion of Iraq last
weekend recalled protests against the Vietnam War, or against
US nuclear missiles in Europe 20 years ago," reports Peter
Ford for The Christian Science Monitor.
Berkeley
joins war protest
A report by Judith Scherr the Berkeley Daily Planet on the protest
in Berkeley.
Return
of college peaceniks
"Students join antiwar protests, but many are skeptical their
action will alter US policy on Iraq," writes Abraham McLaughlin,
staff writer at The Christian Science Monitor.
Marchers
protest Iraq war
"Peace and love were the overriding themes Saturday as hundreds
of people crowded downtown to protest U.S. military action against
Iraq," reports Daniel Barlow for Vermont's Brattleboro Reformer.
City's
activists decry looming war with Iraq
"Armed with songs and informal speeches, about 100 peace
activists gathered on the Courthouse lawn Sunday to protest possible
military action against Iraq by the United States," reports
Kenya Woodard for Ft. Wayne's Journal Gazette.
Professor:
Invasion of Iraq illegal, seems to be inevitable
"Under current United Nations law, Cashman said, states have
the right of individual self-defense, but that an armed attack
must have taken place. If the U.S., for example, could prove that
Iraq had a hand in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S.
could legally retaliate," notes Chris Williams, a staff writer
at Maryland's Star Democrat.
WSU
discusses escalating Iraq situation
"To war or not to war — that was the question on the minds
of many who attended the town hall meeting last night (Sunday)
in Hubbard Hall," Archie Losey writes in the Wichita State
Sunflower.
Portland
Liberation Network responds to Police Chief
"On September 26th, 2002 there was an anti-war protest in
Portland. The call was put out by anonymous activists, and the
organizing and event was decentralized and open to all. This of
course confused the hell out of the police who were looking for
leaders, and brought on the expected media spin of “leaderless,
no purpose, mob rule”. After a half hour peaceful march full of
music, drumming, puppets, and visible public support, and then
an hour of occupying a major intersection during rush hour, arrests
began to occur and the night ended with the police attacking and
beating protesters." This is an interesting exchange about
actions and reactions by protestors and police.
State's
antiwar voice quiet in shadow of 9/11
This article alleges that the antiwar protests have grown meek
and mild in the days since Sept. 11, 2001. Interestingly, some
6,000 people turned out in Portland on Oct. 5 to protest warpigs'
plots against Iraq. See Peaceful
march draws thousands against war.
Anti-war
protesters line Visalia streets
"About 50 Tulare County residents stood in the sun waving
signs that read 'God is Love' and 'Honk If You Oppose The War'
for two hours Sunday as traffic bustled down Mooney Boulevard,"
reports Laura Florez for the Times-Delta.
USC
students divided over possibility of attack on Iraq
The title here says it all.
Celebrities
mobilize for peace
Caesar G. Soriano writes for USAToday that "Barbra Streisand
isn't the only celebrity banging the drums of peace."
Anti-war
rallies across U.S.
"Anti-war fever awoke over the weekend, as about 8,000 protesters
in San Francisco joined brethren across the country in a rising
rumble against President Bush's drive to disarm Iraq," writes
Elizabeth Fernandez for the San Francisco Chronicle.
‘Washington-London
axis’ gunning for control of Iraqi oil: Chandra
"The 400,000-strong peace march in London last Saturday
to protest war against Iraq has been described as clear indication
that civil society has become aware of the 'diabolical hegemonic
politics' practised by the United States and Britain."
Anti-war
marchers evoke spirit of CND
"Organisers and police wrangle over size of 'historic' crowd"
Songs,
signs and chants
Another anti-Bush protest.
