Washington DC-- On October 26, 2002 an estimated 200,000 people converged on Washington DC to denounce the escalation of the war on Iraq as proposed by the Bush administration. The rally brought out numbers rarely seen in recent years, for an objectively anti-imperialist demand. In addition to showing up for the rally, a paper ballot/online poll is being conducted to allow each person to vote against the war. (1) As citizens of an imperialist nation it is our responsibility to pressure our government to refrain in its exploits around the world. It is important that the broad opposition to the war unites on this issue to apply real pressure to the u$ government. At the same time, RAIL was on hand to put forth a revolutionary perspective, distributing copies of a MIM Notes article exposing Bush's intentions in Iraq and the repurcussions of the proposed war. (2)

Speakers at the rally throughout the morning hit many of the same points MIM Notes has been making in opposition to this war. Veterans for Peace had a particularly clear perspective on the issues. One veteran acknowledged that this would only bring more attacks on U$ soil and citizens. He also mentioned the effects on amerikans involved in the war (which is estimated to be 200,000 to 500,000 for this war), such as the 150,000 gulf war vets who are now on disability. One Vet for Peace discussed water infrastructure rebuilding that their organization has done in Iraq and how if we want a better government in Iraq then the best thing to do is to help Iraqis rebuild the infrastructure our military has destroyed over the last 10 years. Once the people of Iraq begin to be able to live normal lives again can they do something about the way their country is run. This exposes one of the false premises of the war on Iraq, namely that it is a war to free the people of Iraq. The U$ government will never support the self-determination of other nations, because given the freedom, no nation would choose to be a victim of U$ imperialism.

It is evident that opposition to this war effort is based in the strong self-interest of the amerikan people, whether it be concerns of retaliation, economic reasons or the potential loss of u$ soldiers. When the self-interest of the majority of imperialist nation people overlaps with that of the oppressed we can utilize such temporary alliances. However, when it comes to economic concerns, the interest of imperialist nations is inherently opposed to that of the oppressed nations where their wealth is stolen from. Therefore MIM denounces those organizations claiming to struggle on behalf of the exploited people of the world who support amerikan workers in their fight for a bigger piece of the imperialist superprofits sucked from the Third World. U$ labor leaders claiming that the war “is a Trojan Horse to attack the labor movement” are delusional. Most people at the rally recognized that this war is about oil. That is oil profits for multinationals, and cheap oil at the pump for the amerikan consumer. To claim that the war is an attack on the amerikan worker is a slap in the face to the 5000 people (mostly children) the U$ kills in Iraq each month, who are the real victims. The organizers of the rally, the ANSWER Coalition, published signs reading, “Money for Jobs, Not War.” The truth is that most people in this country already make more money then the value of their labor and there is plenty of wealth to go around.

Another common slogan at the rally was “Regime Change Starts at Home - Vote.” The fact that there has to be an unofficial vote for us to oppose the war shows that we don’t really get to vote for the stuff that matters. This war will occur because a tiny group of people decided it should. If amerikans are able to slow down this war effort it will be by taking it to the streets. While MIM wholeheartedly supports a regime change in the U$, it seemed that most calling for a regime change at the rally were thinking more along the lines of a democratic president, not a communist revolution.

While the rally remained tame, police repression was evident. Freedom of speech was limited to the ‘protestor pen’ as is so common in rallies in this country where a permit must be obtained to speak one’s mind. A RAIL comrade was prevented from walking in certain areas around the Vietnam War memorial merely for having a stack of fliers in h hand. Meanwhile a law barring people from covering their faces in protest areas makes surveillance easier for the pigs. If you fear repression for speaking against U$ policies you better stay home, because it is now illegal to protect your identity.

Notes:
(1) People can access the poll at the websiteVoteNoWar.org Initiated by the ANSWER Coalition, we list this site because a nationwide movement to demonstrate opposition to this war is important. However, MIM’s differences with the Workers’ World Party, which created ANSWER, are vital in organizing in the interests of a real proletariat.

(2) This article is available as a flier from our website.