The war and its effects are increasingly intolerable to people in Michigan. That is reflected in a February 2007 poll that showed President Bush having a meager 26% approval rating in the state, the lowest since he became president.

Antiwar sentiment is clearly growing throughout the U.S. But sentiment alone will not stop the bloodshed in Iraq. Now more than ever, we need ambitious thinking to spark action to end the U.S. war on Iraq.
Critical Moment asked local activists to reflect on the question of what can be done to end this bloody, wasteful war. The responses below call on us to recognize our responsibility—to ourselves and the world—to mobilize towards ending this war, and confronting the systems, conditions and attitudes that make war possible.
The dialogue should not end here. It should continue in our homes, workplaces and communities. It will also continue in the pages of this magazine. We invite you to respond to the ideas presented here, or to contribute your own. Write to us at editors@criticalmoment.org.

Knock On Doors & Build a Base of Opposition

Lets distribute antiwar and pro-peace literature in the white working class districts of Michigan. We need to knock on everyone’s door and talk to those who have not been exposed to this kind of literature but are fed up with Bush’s war policies. It is critical that we talk with people who have historically opposed the peace movement and historically favored the foreign policy of the U.S. government. We need to talk with white working class people about the difference between patriotism and supporting a foreign policy built upon war and visions of empire. We need to ask them what they think and what their ideas are. We need to create a way for them to express their voices and tell their stories about their family and friends’ involvement in the war.

Every community needs to have local demonstrations on the anniversary of the war.
Let’s stop blaming the media, let’s stop blaming the neo-conservatives and let’s start taking responsibility for our own actions and challenge the Democrats. When we are ready for mass civil disobedience, the Democratic Party will hear our message and we will end this war.

Rich Feldman is a board member of the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership.

Build a Movement of Millions

Ending the war on Iraq requires a movement of millions of people in the United States. It is an effort that has been initiated through elections with antiwar candidates, the actions of dissident soldiers and veterans, counter-recruitment efforts, and demonstrations in Washington, DC and locally.

In order to involve millions, we need to reach people where they live in their neighborhoods and workplaces. We need to make the connection between the billions wasted on the war and the deterioration of communities and schools, the fall in the standard of living, and the loss of jobs. We must be unafraid of coalitions with all sorts of people who oppose this war. At the same time, we need to articulate a vision of a world without war, hunger, injustice. When millions are mobilized we may see, for example, high school walkouts, the growth of independent media voices against the war, and the shut-down of recruitment stations.

Our efforts in this country will strengthen Iraqi resistance to U.S. occupation and will inspire the expansion of the worldwide movement opposing the war, weakening Bush’s allies and preventing new ones from entering on his side. Our efforts inside the United States have a tripling effect: when we act, we increase the strength and confidence of the Iraqis and the antiwar movement around the world, as well as ourselves.

Fred Vitale is an editor of Critical Moment and was a Green Party antiwar candidate in the 2006 elections.

Foster an Informed and Educated Public

An educated, informed, democratic society is what we need. I believe the essential element to ending this slaughter of the Iraqi people is for antiwar groups and alternative media to continue to get the truth out. The uncensored truth given to the public would wake the masses up to the criminal leaders they have representing them. I believe in the Biblical saying that the truth will set us free. Free from lies and liars alike.

MECAWI (Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice) have been agitating resistance to this insane murder of innocent human beings since it started in 2003. Through various demonstrations and public forums we have tried, somewhat successfully, to inform and more importantly educate the public to this genocidal escapade happening in our name. I believe only by informing and educating the public can the criminal and downright evil shenanigans of our leaders be stopped. Not only can we end this slaughter, but we can stop the possibility of this ever happening again.

Derek Grigsby of Detroit was a Green Party antiwar candidate in 2006 and is a member of MECAWI.

Recognize the Humanity of the Victims of U.S. Wars

The demands heard from antiwar demonstrations since 2002 have generally reflected a self-interested drive. “Money for (fill in a domestic need that is suffering shortage), not for the war.” The unspoken implication is that American people’s needs are more important than millions of Iraqi lives made hell. And there is more interest in the wellbeing of U.S. troops, as opposed to their innocent victims. This severe disorganization of priorities is exactly why the antiwar movement has generally not done more than hold up signs and chant slogans. It’s also why the antiwar movement redirected whatever popular-level energy it had to supporting the Democrats in elections, a party that is no kinder to Arabs than are Republicans.

Disorganization of priorities is why the antiwar movement surrendered to the fact that it had tried its “best” and gone back to life as normal. It’s why there was deafening silence after publication of pictures of torture in Abu Ghraib and two massacres in Fallujah. It’s why some see a “responsibility”—grounded not in reality but in white man’s burden—for U.S. troops to stay in Iraq to prevent Iraqis from killing each other. It’s also why Palestine is mysteriously excluded from the discourse. It’s hard to believe anyone could genuinely oppose a four-year occupation of Arab land if they don’t oppose a sixty-year occupation of nearby Arab land.

The most effective way to stop this war is for American people at large, not just the antiwar movement, to begin thinking of Iraqis as brothers and sisters. That change in perspective is bound to lead to a dramatic, meaningful restructuring of strategies towards the overall goal of ending U.S. imperialism in Iraq.
Think of how much you love you own family, and know that Iraqis love their families as much, then act accordingly. You owe it to Iraqis, and to your own humanity, to oppose the war as if your own family is in Abu Ghraib right now, and as though Abeer Hamza (who, at 14-years-old, was raped and killed by an American soldier) was your own daughter. Ask yourself, what you would want Iraqis to do for you if Iraqi tanks were occupying your streets?

I visited Palestine in 2005 and asked people in different Palestinian cities, how they thought I could be of help when I returned to the States. They all gave one answer: “Tell the American people our stories.” If Palestinians could see the humanity of people who pay taxes that are used to fund the occupation of their land, then calling for Americans to step outside their comfort zone to oppose the war isn’t asking for too much. Solidarity goes beyond words; the Palestinians of Jenin Refugee Camp collected a million pencils in the late 1990’s to send to Iraqi elementary schools, which at the time were suffering under sanctions. If Palestinians living under brutal military occupation could place solidarity with Iraqis ahead of their own needs, so can the American people.

Saja is an Iraqi activist based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Let Us Be Citizens of the World, Not of Empire

All sorts of exit “scenarios” are being considered, but how you view next steps really comes down to how you see America’s place in the world. Many still adhere to some vision of the U.S. as the leading world power and that “we” need to clean up the mess that has been made in Iraq. Most politicians and citizens rallied around the flag and went gung ho for the invasion. Many now realize they were duped but still hold the idea that the U.S. must act like the “leader of the free world.” They don’t get it.

The issue remains U.S. ambitions of empire. A defeat in Iraq— it is and will be a defeat—undermines U.S. global hegemony and this country’s ability to wage war on the world. A defeat will inspire other nations and peoples that they no longer have to accept U.S. dominance. People will be inspired by the chance of getting Uncle Sam’s boot off their neck. That’s what really scares the bejeezus out of the power players and decision makers when it comes to withdrawl in Iraq.

Here at home, “we” need to face up to what that pronoun represents when politicians and pundits are throwing it around. They make it seem as if “we” are all on the same page when it comes figuring out Iraq and the U.S. role in the world. That U.S. military might or Exxon, Halliburton and Bechtel’s corporate agendas are simpatico with the needs of the vast majority of U.S. citizens. Yes, we want stability in the Middle East but on what terms and for whom? We, that is, the majority of our ranks, need to get over ourselves. This U.S. über alles mindset cripples our future. If we’re going to be true citizens of the world and help make this globe more secure and democratic, U.S. imperialism must end. It starts with immediate withdrawl of troops in Iraq. The Iraqis are up to determining their future. It’s time we dug deep and commit to figuring out ours.

Peter Cooke is a Detroit labor activist and a member of Solidarity.

Share Stories of the War’s Effects on Families and Communities

One idea is to appeal to all the MySpace users. Ask them to share some stories from communities where people have gone to Iraq and not returned, or who have gone and returned with stories of the things they have seen. Let’s try to get stories of the army reservists who can’t come home, or who have had to serve so much longer than they expected to. We can ask Iraqi citizens in our area to talk about their families and the war’s effect on them.

Let’s look at the state of our communities and see what the money from the war could do in very real and specific terms. We can argue, with this money spent on war, we would not have to close schools in Detroit. We would not have to lay off all these people from their jobs. We would be able to fund jobs for young people during the summer.

Companies like Halliburton and Blackwater are handed billions of dollars for their operations in Iraq, and that money disappears without any record of how it was spent. Meanwhile, people who steal diapers at Walmart go to prison, and the people who stole all our money to fund this war walk free. Who now has the moral authority to even sentence anyone to prison? What comes of a country that has no legitimate leadership that anyone has any faith in?

Elena Herrada is a community activist and the director of Centro Obrero in Detroit.

Build Alliances with Soldiers

One element that could be the key to stopping the war is soldiers’ opposition to the war. This may be the social dynamic that tips the balance. The peace movement can help. This involves the important, although difficult work, of making meaningful connections with soldiers. Connecting is different than “support the troops” rhetoric. Connecting requires various actions; Befriending some, challenging others, seeking dialog, and supporting those who resist.

When we demonstrate at federal buildings, the federal government doesn’t take note. More potent sites from which to make an impact are ROTC buildings on campuses, military reserve buildings, and recruiting offices. Building a GI war resistance movement can have an effect beyond this war. In the words of Albert Einstein, “The pioneers of a warless world are the young men [and women] who refuse military service.”

Gaia Kile is a 44 year old peace activist working to establish a peace library and a peace oriented think tank.

Encourage Conscientious Dissent and Create Alternatives to the Military

The war would end tomorrow if soldiers refused to fight it. In order to support, honor and reward soldiers who resist, we need to develop civilian-initiated systems of support to serve soldiers who are court-martialed for conscientiously refusing orders. We need to create networks that deliver access to jobs, schooling and other tangible resources to soldiers who refuse to fight.

Similarly, we need to make the job of recruiters harder by creating a strong range of viable options outside of the military. The military preys on economic vulnerability. While one hand of government makes deep cuts to social services, the other beckons with sexy, action-packed enlistment commercials, where the life of a soldier is made to look like fun-filled days of rock-climbing and ropes courses.

Would-be soldiers need to be given the time and resources to gain experiences and find themselves before they are allowed to sign their lives away.

J. Ericson is a writer and co-op development consultant based out of Ann Arbor.

We Need Honest News Coverage of the War

For most people in the U.S., our only access to information about the war is through the corporate news media, which is not showing us the reality of life in Iraq. “Embedded” photographers, who travel with and are protected by the U.S. military, produce most of the Iraq war footage that is available to the American public. Embedded journalists have little contact with Iraqi people, and their coverage is from the literal perspective of an American soldier.

While operating as independent photojournalists in Iraq, the four photographers featured in the book and traveling exhibition Unembedded (www.unembedded.net) humanize everyday Iraqi citizens by showing how they were affected by the war as it was breaking in 2003. U.S. media outlets were largely uninterested in the breaking news of a growing national resistance because those photos didn’t fit within the predetermined narrative arc of “Operation Iraqi Freedom.”

An “us vs. them” narrative is necessary to justify the war, and images like those featured in Unembedded disrupt this narrative. In the introduction to the book, Philip Robertson writes that their journeys beyond the front lines were “proof that often when one man is confronted with the humanity of another, he will not raise his rifle and pull the trigger. This is not disloyalty to one’s country. It is the thing that brings an end to war.”

As most people have now accepted that the U.S. has failed in Iraq, the imaginary glory in the “Operation Iraqi Freedom” narrative has been debunked. But the visual imagery of the war continues to perpetuate an “us vs. them” myth, while also playing off of a long history of xenophobia and negative media representations of Arabs. Media shapes public perception. Honest depictions of the lives of Iraqis are needed to increase opposition to the war.

Nadia Abou-Karr is an art student at Wayne State University.

Link Up the Struggles

I think the most important thing that we need to do to end the war in Iraq is to end the exclusive centering of Iraq in our antiwar activism. Many activists look at Iraq and see war, but look at other militarized zones such as Guam, the U.S./Mexican border, South Korea, Japan, New Orleans, Hawai’i, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, or Colombia and see an unfortunate fact of life. For many of these activists, there is no more connection between Iraq and the murder of Puerto Rican independence leader Filiberto Ojeda Rios than there is between George Bush and Bill Clinton.

But the question we need to ask ourselves is, what happens if we manage to pressure the U.S. government out of Iraq? Will that end the violence we are funding against Latin American nations? Will we remove our occupying forces from Hawai’i? Will it stop members of the military from pointing guns at fellow citizens and human beings in New Orleans and on the border? Will it stop the gang rapes of Fillipina, Japanese, black, Latina, indigenous and Arab women by members of the U.S. military?

George Bush is doing nothing new in Iraq. Militaristic violence is an intimate and integral function of the U.S. government and has been since its inception. As such, the only way we will end the war in Iraq is if we recognize that ending one military campaign is not the same thing as dismantling the military industrial complex. We must not privilege concern for some lives over others. As antiwar activists, we need our goal to be the dismantlement of the military industrial complex, not just the end of one war.

We must remember how to dream big—because only big dreams are going to be strong enough to last.

Susana Adame is a creative writer and feminist from Ypsilanti Michigan.