The immigrant rights marches and the anti-war marches

[bluestateguy]

I wish the anti-war movement could have mustered the kinds of numbers that we have seen from the immigrant rights demonstrations. I'm rather impressed and in awe of what the immigrant rights groups have done. It just goes to show you that when an issue has real world significance for people, the demonstrators will turn out. That is the case with immigration, but it's not the case with the war. Too many people don't have a relative in the war, and there is no draft (I oppose bringing back the draft, BTW). Don't be fooled, of course, as every poll now shows that a clear majority of Americans believe the Iraq war was wrong. They just aren't marching in the streets to demand that the war end. Most Americans just respond to the folly of the Iraq war by rolling their eyes and tuning it all out. They are disgusted by it, so they pay attention to other things. You can do that if you don't have a family member in the war, or if there is no draft. Immigration is a very different issue that affects far more people in a tangible, real world way.

[Breeze54]

1. You mean Peace marcher's in...

...total, in all the cities across the US??

I agree!!
There were over 500,000 in DC in September but all other cities then,
had significantly lower turnout.
NYC had over 300,000 on Saturday though! :thumbsup:

The immigrants are going to Iraq and dying there too, so;
how come they aren't at the peace marches also?
Maybe they had to go to work on those days? :shrug:

[seg4527]

3. dude, wake up

in a lot of cities the immigrant and anti-war movements are making connections. it's happening here in minneapolis.

it's not just something that comes together. let's face it, the face of the anti-war movement is the white middle class elitist. we come out once or twice a year for a symbolic peaceful protest, and then go back on with our lives for another 6 months. not exactly inspiring now.

i don't have time for a long intelligent entry now. i wrote a long entry kind of about this, if you take a look in my journal, maybe 2 or 3 entries back.

the connection is happening among people actually willing and able to relate to real working class people. the recent protest in minneapolis, also written about in my journal, had a lot more minorities at it than last time, iMO.

[Breeze54]

4. dude...

I'm wide AWAKE!! @@
and I'm not a 'dude'! lol

I'm not an 'elitist' and I attend anti-war/peace marches. Do you??

A lot of activity is happening on the net also.
Not everyone can afford to make trips to NYC or DC every other week.
I happen to be one of them but that doesn't mean I'm any less involved or NOT passing the word.
My last trip to DC cost me over $450.00 and I drove!

PS. Feel free to read my diary too! ;)

Do you mean 'elitist' like this? :shrug:






Or this??




None of those people look 'elitist' to me...they look like everyday people/anti-war marchers to me!

;)

[seg4527]

5. i was making general comments about the anti-war movement

and sorry for calling you a dude, too.

but yeah, i have a lot of qualms about some in the anti-war movement, and wrote my post to seem more like a personal attack, rather than the general attack on some of these groups it was meant to be.

i got to go to dc for an extremely reduced price last fall, so i took it up. i've been to DC before, originally being from PA. i remembered it being a city with pretty high minority makeup, although i've never looked up the stats. so i was kind of shocked when we got to the protest and what a white protest it was. this is just an example of how many anti-war groups have been rather inclusive, maybe not on purpose, but there is definitely something going on.

fortunately, in minneapolis, i think there is a pretty good connection among the groups, at least among students. it's obviously a lot more complex than i could make it in one sentence.

basically, after being a big part of building at least two pretty damn big student walkouts in minneaoplis (one with 2,000 students, and another with 900 gathering in the pouring rain) i'm getting pretty frustrated with people who want to do nothing more but parade up and down a street for 30 minutes, and hope that the war will magically be stopped and all of the problems of today's america will be solved.

i mean, the movement is so pussified that on friday at our rally, as 6 of our protestors were being dragged away by the cops, the protets marshals decided to have a "meeting" about what our next action would be. by the time the meeting was done, the students had already been taken of course. our "course of action" was to march down the street, listen to oen more speech, and then go home. luckily there was a black bloc there, that managed to "unarrest" one of the innocent students targeted by the police. the others were ticketed, and one is in jail about to be charged with a felony.

so, anyway, sorry about being an ass to you.

[Breeze54]

6. Hey?

No worries! I just thought it was funny you thought a guy would call himself 'breeze'! :P

Good for you and the organizing you've been doing!! Keep up the good work!!
Every little bit helps, IMHO!! :thumbsup:
We're on the same page!!

And the people organizing the immigrant marches are the same people organizing the anti-war marches!!
That's what I was referring to...about.

Edited for spelling.

[bluestateguy]

2. kick

:kick: