March 18, 2007
Yesterday was my birthday and I spent it freezing in front of the Pentagon with 20,000 others who braved the cold and inclement weather to protest Congress' vote to fund the surge and Bush wars.
Here's my remarks from yesterday:
"What the Vote Really Means" Remarks in front of the Pentagon March 17, 2007
Well, it seems that George Bush and Democratic Leaders were right. They confidently told us that not only would Democrats fund the surge, but that the Democrats would not stop action in Iran, too. Now, we are not surprised when the unelected, illegitimate Administration of George Bush ignores us, but we are shocked that the Democratic majority in Congress chose war over us as we say Bring our troops home now! The answer is clear: Our country has been hijacked. What about a livable wage for America's workers? What about the right of return for Katrina survivors? What about repealing the Patriot Act, the Secret Evidence Act, and the Military Tribunals Act? Why is impeachment "off the table"? Our country is bankrupt yet this institution has "lost" 2.3 trillion dollars! I want that money back . . . For jobs . . . for health care . . . for education . . . for our veterans! The Democrats have become so timid they won't even repeal the Bush tax cuts as a strategy to deal with a bankrupt nation. Seems the story is the same: more money for war, but we can't feed the poor. It's hard to believe, but now the Democrats are full partners in George Bush's wars. And by funding his wars, the Democratic Congress is explicitly complicit. Complicit in war crimes! Complicit in torture! Complicit in crimes against humanity! Complicit in crimes against peace! The FBI spied on us; Condoleezza, Dick, and George lied to us. In 1957, Dr. King observed that "Both political parties have betrayed the cause of justice." And so it must be repeated today. Our beloved America is dividing again into two Americas. Our struggle is for nothing less than the soul of our country. We want an America that is respected in the commonwealth of man; we want our values to shine like a beacon throughout the world. As an American of conscience, I hereby declare my independence from every bomb dropped, every threat leveled, every civil liberties rollback, every child killed, every veteran maimed, every man tortured. And I sadly declare my independence from the leaders who let it happen. We will not stop. We will win. We will get our country back!
