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| Fifth Column |
| Some War Protesters Uneasy With Others |
| 2003-01-26 |
| After a weekend of antiwar protests that many participants say signaled an expansion of public opposition to military action against Iraq, some organizers are facing criticism, much of it from within the movement, about the role played by their group, International Answer. Attendance at rallies in Washington and San Francisco last Saturday was in the tens of thousands, and reflected a mix of views that spanned the social and political spectrums. Sure did. The range of views went from left to left... Many protest organizers say the presence of labor unions, religious groups, business people and soccer moms showed a growing mainstream opposition to the war. But behind the scenes, some of the protesters have questioned whether the message of opposing war with Iraq is being tainted or at least diluted by other causes of International Answer, which sponsored both the Washington and San Francisco rallies. Answer, whose name stands for Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, was formed a few days after Sept. 11, 2001, by activists who had already begun coming together to protest policies of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. They're an outcropping of the Anti-Globalization Nutcase Coalition... Some of the group's chief organizers are active in the Workers World Party, a radical Socialist group with roots in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. The party has taken positions that include defense of the Iraqi and North Korean governments and support for Slobodan Milosevic, the former Yugolav president being tried on war crimes charges. Oh, and let us not forget their opposition to operations in Afghanistan... The positions of some of Answer's members have caused rifts in past antiwar movements as well. In January 1991, at the onset of the Persian Gulf war, two coalitions of protesters marched separately, on consecutive weekends, because one refused to align itself with the other, whose members included current Answer officers who would not criticize the Iraqi government or support economic sanctions against it. ANSWER is a Ramsey Clark vanity organization. Ramsey's been in love with Sammy for years... In an interview today, Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a spokeswoman for Answer, said questions raised about the group's role were "classic McCarthy-era Red-baiting." Really? And how's that, pray tell? "When you select out the Socialists or Marxists," she said, "the point is to demonize and divide and diminish a massive, growing movement." When a massive, growing movement is controlled by Marxists and Socialists and unreconstructed Commies, pointing the finger is not red-baiting. It's calling a spade a spade. We're past the point of paying no attention to that man behind the curtain. It is good to see that the Times has noticed what ANSWER is. The rest of us noticed about a year and a half ago. FOLLOWUP: Meryl addresses the disgusting "golden calf" procession in Davos. I'm not surprised. The world is realigning, choosing sides the a war that's just begun. We know what side those guys are on. Just glancing at the picture, I'm actually glad they're not on our side. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |