From The Half-Red House

I talked my wife and a few friends into filling my place at the weekly peace vigil in Peterborough last Saturday so I could go the the massive anti-war rally in Boston. The rain probably kept numbers down, but the Boston Globe estimated attendance at ten thousand. If the other eleven rallies around the country had at least as many participants, a whole lot of people from all parts of the ideological spectrum just got together to make a concerted demand for US military disengagement from Iraq and a just and peaceful solution to differences with Iran. Historian Howard Zinn, an Iraq Veteran against the War, a gold-star stepmother, an Iraqi-Aerican teacher, singer David Rovics, and a whole lot of others spoke and sang articulately in favor of peace and reconciliation, diplomacy and de-militarization of the middle-east conflicts. There were Republicans and Democrats, Anarchists, Socialists, Vegans, bikers, timid liberals, staunch fiscal conservatives, pro-life and pro choice advocates all calling for the troops to come home. The sobering spectacle of some 170 pairs of empty combat boots reminded us all of the fact that young men and women from right here in New England are continuing to die and suffer long-term injuries in this war; speakers reminded us of the likelihood that the number of Iraqi civilian dead is likely in the millions.

So why did the Boston Globe decide to give this rally four column inches on page B6 in its Sunday edition? Why was this story invisible in the Google headlines the nxt morning? Can every major news outlet have independently decided this was a “non-story”? Ten thousand people taking to the streets of each of eleven US cities? Clearly we were invisible, even though several speakers pointed out that over 60% of the US public wants us out of Iraq in less than a year.

To add insult to injury, while just about everybody at the rally was expressing alarm at the near unanimous passage of H.R. 1955: “The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Act”, nobody oustide of that little oval of humanity stretching from Boston Common to Copley Square seems to have heard of it. This is a bill that might be called the “anti-thoughtcrime bill”. Only 6 US representatives opposed its passage – 3 Democrats (including Dennis Kuciniich! – yay!) and 3 Republicans. Check out this article in the latest Counterpunch Magazine.

A law that could have ordinary Americans locked up indefinitely in secret prisons for what they think about! And nobody finds it dangerous or even odd.

A few days earlier we saw the spectacle of two shadowy high US officials leaking a detailed plan to attack Iran, possibly with nuclear weapons! And nobody loses his/her cool?

Woops, maybe just thinking these things will get us put away for good…. better stop thinking now!

It looks like the CBA Members for Justice lost the Board election to the well-funded opposition. Because virtually everybody who voted in the election voted for a slate, and because their slate (allegedly) got more votes than ours, we have NO representatives on the board.

The election on Saturday was an enormously exciting event. People of all the communities that make up Lowell joined a voting line that stretched around the block. The line moved very slowly, and the babble of animated conversations in many languages filed the air. The little red cross that shows I voted still hasn’t faded from hand, and I feel a pain in my gut as if I’d received the psychic equivalent of a punch. The management faction had printed professional signs and leaflet and, more importantly, apparently spent a lot getting its message out to leaders of other organizations, who in turn rallied their “troops” to show up for the vote. We rallied our people, but we didn’t get enough of the fence-sitters and disconnected people who would have supported us out to vote. I’d like to know the final vote tallies. There was some problem with one of the ballot boxes at the start of voting, so there might be hanky-panky going on, but probably it was just plain organizing that made the difference. I have no doubt that those who voted against the CBAMJ slate were systematically misinformed, but they were effectively mobilized.

I want to hear for Darcie and  Lindolfo about what they want to do next, but it looks like the organization has been coopted by smooth-talking, well-funded management types who have hoodwinked the people of the city into taking their side. And our side didn’t do its job… I’ll write about this more later.

My guess is that, with the re-routing of the University Avenue bridge traffic along a new boulevard through the center of the Acre, low-income housing in the city will dwindle, and the community will become less cohesive. CBA was the only effective channel for opposition to this project, so the gentrifiers and  manic automobile-based developers  will probably win. Visible activism will have to come from other quarters in the future. I hope we can become more effective in organizing, and I hope people like  Darcie and Lindolfo and all the CBA Members for Justice who “fought the good fight” this time will keep their spirits up and move forward effectively. We’ve all got to learn how to do this sort of thing better next time. We’ve got to remember that bosses are bosses, even in the nonprofit world and that empowerment of the weak, equality and democratic structure are our best defense.