Friday, January 12, 2007

And Now, for Serious Business

Perhaps the last post I wrote (I've spent a ton of time thinking about music over the holidays) is a modern day version of "fiddling while Rome burns" but I am not the fucking leader of this country, so I'm going to excuse myself from that particular responsibility of stopping the dance and changing the tune.
Besides, it's a much bigger challenge to come up with the answer to the "what was your favorite music of 2006?" question than it is to come up with the answer to the "What should we do about the war" question. There were a lot of good albums to choose from. There is only one main idea about what to do about the war, and it's simple, and I've said it before.



Bring the troops home NOW.


As my friends of pre-adolescence used to say "Big DUH."

I will be in DC for the January march. I'll be teaching the usual William Appleman Williams version of American history in the Spring, so I'm doing my little bit.

Besides that, I think all the points that could possibly be made have been made already.
Here are the strategies that I've heard people suggest:

1. Get Out in the streets
2. Pressure the Democrats
3. Elect Democrats
4. Run third party candidates
5. Support a GI resistance movement
6. Move with the international community
7. Do something about the media
8. Target the economic infrastructure
9. Impeach the president

Here are the various theories of the causes of it all, which would inform the strategies for the above basic focal points:

1. It's all about oil
2. It's all about global markets, petrodollars, and China
3. It's all about the Israel Lobby
4. It's all about PNAC (perhaps see above)
5. It's all about the Military Industrial Complex
6. It's all about distracting people from domestic crises.
7. It's all about privatization.

Am I missing anything?

Am I being too flip? At this point, I can barely blog about the war because I don't feel there's anything new to say. I will say I am surprised by the Bush "troop surge" idea. Where are these troops going to come from?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Democrats are lining up to heap scorn on the troop surge the commander in chief has ordered under authority the Congress previously gave him — and maneuver in the Congress to block either reinforcements or the hot pursuit of the Iranians....

The cost of war is enormous, something Mr. Bush clearly understands. The tears that slid down his face in public yesterday gave testament to the depth of his feelings. No doubt thousands of others shed them, moved to the quick by the glory of one man's courage.

reb said...

ugh

Anonymous said...

You DID forget one theory for the cause of it all:

8. Bring on the Apocalypse, the End Times, YEEEE-HAWWWWWW!

Anonymous said...

Theory #9, via Digby:

"...This is looking more and more like a series of tests of the Republican belief that pure power is all that's needed to govern in a democracy....

I think that we must be honest and admit that we aren't living in a real democracy anymore. Yes, it has the trappings of one. We hold elections and we petition our government and offices change hands. But it is so infected with spin and lies and the willingness of its leaders to deny the democratic spirit of the constitution at every turn that it no longer really functions as one."