For the ANSWER bashers

[Plaid Adder]

You know what?

I went on my first march in DC a year ago yesterday and I went despite the fact that they were pulling the same crap about ANSWER out then that they are now. And why did I go? Because I wanted to do something about this fucking mess and ANSWER had a demo set up and was chartering buses. It's that fucking simple.

UFPJ has better mainstream support and I was glad to see they were co-sponsoring the march and rally this year. But UFPJ is an umbrella group for a huge number of organizations and they seem to be very focused on NYC. Apart from that big rally in NY on Feb. 15, which admittedly was an amazing event, they have not done much on the national-protest front. ANSWER has been doing a better job organizing and getting the word out for local and national demonstrations, and that's why people show up.

You don't want to associate with the bad communist lefties or catch pro-Palestinian cooties? Fine. START YOUR OWN NATIONAL PROTEST NETWORK. Centrists and moderate liberals all over the country will be thrilled to death. So will I. I am already fed up with seeing the same 2000 people at all the Chicago protests and the same 12 organizations at the national ones. If any of this is going to have a real impact, we will have to get millions of people moving, not just 100,000. But you know what, just ranting about how 'out there' and 'bizarre' ANSWER is and thanking your stars that you have never besmirched yourself by associating with them is not going to make anything happen, apart from a lot of flame wars.

I shouldn't even be posting this, as it is not liable to be constructive, but dammit, I'm pissed off. You go to all the trouble to go down there and try to keep dissent alive in this country only to come back here and get picked apart for it. Really renews your faith in the power of democracy.

:argh:

The Plaid Adder

[seventhson]

1. I Agree 100%!!! At LEAST Answer is organizing folks and protests

The people who are being hurt worst and who want change the most are the most vocal at these protests: the oppressed, the condemned, the victims of genocide, the poor.

The confortable liberals who are afraid to rocvk the boat or rock the vote criticize, condemn and complain.

Pitiful

[Brian Sweat]

2. Just because they might be the only one's protesting the war,

that doesn't make them the good guys. If they support the Iraqi attacks on American soldiers, then they are the bad guys. If someone roots for American soldiers to get killed or injured, then I am going to bash them even if they do do a few good things. I'm sure Ted Bundy brushed his teeth before he went to bed, but he was still a serial killer.

[kaitykaity]

3. Locking. Dupe.

Please discuss here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=598728

[JHB]

4. You beat me to it.

I would probably count myself among the ANSWER "bashers", but PA makes a case I was about to make myself:

There are plenty of anti-war groups. Why is ANSWER the only one putting together these mass demonstrations? If you don't want them controlling the mike and filling up the speaker list with "support the soldier-shooting guerrilas" and "free Mumia" people, then somebody else organize the protest!

It really is just that simple.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

5. They've got the money and organization

that's the literal bottom line.
It's similar to the reasons a lot of us are Democrats. We don't subscribe to the party line all the way down to the depths of our souls, but they're headed in the general direction we wanna go so we get on the bus.