Over the past few weeks, you have heard--on several occasions--there will be a major anti-war demonstration on Bascom mall this morning. And seeing as you may be reading this commentary with minutes to spare, you might be wondering whether you should make a point of attending the rally and marching to the Capitol with your voice raised.
It would be easy enough to decline the invitation. For one thing, an invasion of Iraq is now considered a foregone conclusion. The fact that the United States may very well abandon its efforts to obtain the Security Council's blessing for an invasion is the latest nail in this long-buried coffin. This event will be the latest installment in a series of protest actions that this city has witnessed in the past 18 months--the fifth in this year alone. This may lead you to believe today's event is going to be more of the same old Madison thing.
Nevertheless, this demonstration is worth your time. Indeed, if you are at all concerned about the coming war, I would respectfully suggest you should be on Bascom mall this morning.
My enthusiastic endorsement of this event is based, in large part, on its specific message--namely, that the federal government would serve the public interest better by using the treasury to provide funding not for an ill-advised war, but for programs that improve the lives of every American. This particular demonstration, of course, will focus on the idea that government should favor institutions of higher education over military projects. But the concept of \books, not bombs"" merely represents a subset of a much larger matter--the president's complete indifference to the needs of his nation.
There are millions of people in this nation who are unemployed--and many of those lucky enough to have jobs are paid so little that they cannot adequately provide for their families. Millions of Americans have no health insurance. Our transportation infrastructure is becoming more congested and more dangerous. Public schools fail to educate those to whom our future is entrusted. Our environment is under increasing pressure. Our cities continue to rot away at their cores. Racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia--and the effects of these detestable practices--are tolerated, if not openly accepted. And the state governments, which administer a multitude of programs that are responsible for achieving federally-mandated objectives, are flat broke.
To be sure, the president did not create these problems. And those who have served before him in the federal government--presidents and members of Congress, republicans and democrats--failed to adequately address them during their respective terms of office.
And yet, the President has gone beyond mere failure. Consider his record--his ongoing attempts to provide juicy tax breaks for the wealthy, his evident lack of concern for our environment, his disdain for labor protections and affirmative action, his heavy-handed approach to public education, his love of secrecy and his hatred of dissent and honest criticism. To be blunt: the president has demonstrated he simply does not care about the needs of the American people.
There is a clear link between this indifference and his push for an invasion. You can see it for yourself, in his attitude toward everyone and everything that stands between him and his war. And this relentlessness and inflexibility exists for one chilling reason: He sees this war as being essential to his political survival.
If the President were concerned about weapons of mass destruction, he would applaud the destruction of Iraqi missiles and support a French proposal that would triple the amount of U.N. inspectors. If he were concerned about national security, he would not launch an invasion that will enrage the Arab world--and lead some fringe elements within that population to commit acts of terrorism against the nation he wants to protect. If he were concerned about the welfare of the Iraqi people, he would work to eliminate the economic sanctions that have, over the past 12 years, led to nothing but deprivation, despair and death.
Instead, the president has bullied and bribed skeptical foreign governments, treated critics with utter contempt, shamelessly invoked the memory of the 3,000 souls who died 18 months ago and frightened Americans on a daily basis. He has even bent his own religion to the breaking point.
Why has he done all of this? In light of his indifference towards the nation's problems, I have come to the conclusion that this war is not going to be about weaponry, security, liberation or even oil. In the final analysis: the president will initiate a strategically stupid, morally repugnant and totally unnecessary war in a desperate attempt to save his political career.
That is why I am going to demonstrate today, and why I urge you to join me.
