HAVE YOU JUST GIVEN UP ON STOPPING BUSH AND HIS WAR IN IRAQ?

I watch so little TV, other than South Park, that maybe I just missed it and there really was tons of coverage of the peace demonstrations that took place all over America this weekend. I probably just couldn't find it but I didn't see any mention in either the NY Times or the Washington Post, or maybe that means, officially, there were no peace demonstrations. Oddly, the BBC covered them with a small article.

Tens of thousands of people have taken part in demonstrations against the war in Iraq in cities across the US.

Rallies took place in a dozen cities, with the biggest crowds gathering in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.

They were timed to coincide with the fifth anniversary of a vote by the US Senate to authorize the Iraq invasion.

Those taking part, who included relatives of servicemen fighting in Iraq, urged the US congress to cut off funding for the war.

The 'national day of action' was called by the United for Peace and Justice coalition.

And the San Francisco Chronicle gave it some coverage on the first page... of the B-Section. Oh, and the Salt Lake Tribune covered the march and rally in Salt Lake City, at which the mayor, Rocky Anderson, spoke.

But mostly I'm just hearing about it via e-mail. Friends all over America have mentioned that they marched. Sometimes I get the feeling that too many of us have just bought into the Democrats' pathetic message that they can't do anything about it because Bush is president. They don't mention that Mr. 24% Approval Rating has a very special protector in the Speaker of the House who has taken the one tool that the Founding Fathers gave us to remove him, off the table. Anyway, I despair sometimes that everybody is just resigned to letting him and Cheney and their cronies go on their tragic killing ways until the day Hillary is elected who seems to maybe, probably, hopefully be saying she'll... wind this thing down... if she can?

The e-mail I got from Cindy Sheehan today (which is posted on her blog) outlined some of the problems anti-occupation activists are facing. Personally, and somewhat quixotically, she's trying to hold Pelosi accountable by running against her for Congress. I used to live in that district. If I still did I would be voting for Cindy and I wouldn't have to think about it twice.

In November of 2006, the peace movement scored a major coup but we later discovered that the Democrats had only used our vibrant, angry and deeply committed movement to regain both Houses of Congress. Some of us erroneously thought that we could relax a little and allow the 110th Congress to take some of the slack from us hard-working activists to end the war and hold BushCo accountable. After all, that's what we pay them for, isn't it? I, and my organization, was roundly criticized by many people for going to Congress in January to demand that the Dems do the job we elected them to do. "Give them a chance." "Shut the f**k up." These and harsher epithets were hurled at us. I understand, because we wanted to relax, too. In November, we were as shocked as everyone else was, though, when Nancy and Harry (Bush Enablers Number One and Two) took impeachment "off the table." We knew there would be no rest for the weary with this Congress, and, unfortunately, I think we have been vindicated?very regrettably for democracy around the world.
 
Where do we go from here?