Published on Friday, June 18, 2004 by CommonDreams.org
A Progressive Declaration Against Terror
by Mark Engler
One of the ideas to come out of Attorney General John Ashcroft's recent warnings about terrorism is that al Qaeda, by plotting a high-profile attack on American soil, hopes to affect the outcome of the US presidential election. For conservatives, the implications of this notion are clear. Republican pundits suggest that any move to oppose President Bush and his war in Iraq constitutes an effort to appease the terrorists.
It is a perverse notion, and one that demands a response from American progressives. Those of us who oppose the disastrous foreign policy of the current administration must make a strong statement both to terrorists who think they would be better off without President Bush and to conservatives trying to manipulate this situation for political gain.
A declaration for a progressive fight against terror would go something like this:
To Osama bin Laden, al Qaeda, and allied terrorists,
Progressives in the US and around the world abhor you. We will defeat you.
http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0618-04.htm