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The anti-war/anti-occupation movement finds itself in a new and promising -- but rapidly changing -- situation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Karl Rove's scheming and the media's discomfort at pointing out the emperor's new duds will nudge things back toward "normal." But it will not be so easy to mend the huge rip Katrina tore in the fantasy world Bush & Co. tried to convince us we live in.
Across this country, millions are seeing all sorts of connections between the Katrina catastrophe and the war.
First, accountability: The occupation of Iraq sucked up money that was supposed to repair the levees in New Orleans. The endless occupation means that National Guard and Army troops along with equipment needed for disasters at home are halfway around the world, watching on TV, as Katrina engulfed their homes. (The branch of the Armed Forces least tied up in Iraq, the Coast Guard, performed quickly and competently by most accounts.)
Second, analogy: If they screwed up the Federal Emergency Management Agency this badly -- cronyism, incompetence, lack of planning, professionals forced out -- then maybe our movement's critique of the whole idea, of the planning and of the conduct of the Iraq War is correct. One more reason many who originally supported that war are turning against it.
Feel Safe Yet?
Third, security: The Bush administration's defining pitch has been "Terrorists are out to kill you, and we're the ones who'll keep you safe." Does anyone seriously believe they would have done a better job if someone had (without five days advance notice) exploded a dirty nuclear device in the port of New Orleans? Outside of the Bush crew and their media lapdogs, nobody bothers to pretend that that the occupation of Iraq hasn't fueled terror attacks, instead of blocking them.
Fourth, human rights: New Orleans showed how the US government treats its own disenfranchised and vulnerable people -- not only African Americans, but also immigrants, anyone else whose income is low and people with illnesses and disabilities. Why would anyone believe they intend to protect human rights somewhere else?
Fifth, the future: On top of growing disgust with a senseless war, people know that the $1.5 billion being poured down the drain in Iraq every single week will be needed for rebuilding the Gulf Coast states. Post-Katrina polls show that 52% of respondents -- 52%! -- are for immediate withdrawal from Iraq. We are the majority!
Crisis of Legitimacy
The occupation staggers from disaster to disaster. Other countries, like Norway, pull their troops out. The "constitutional process" is farcical. Intense Fallujah-type operations prove mainly that insurgents can fade away into the population at will, and do. One fact tells the whole story -- after two and a half years, the road from Baghdad Airport to the US military headquarters in the Green Zone of Baghdad, only 6 miles long, is still one of the most dangerous places in Iraq; important US officials travel between the two by helicopter.
Despite the efforts of Bush's well-paid speechwriters, staged media events, blame the victim talk, and prohibitions about what can photographed, the US ruling class is facing a legitimation crisis that won't vanish overnight. People doubt that the government, the billionaires and the corporations that run this country are willing or able to act for the good of the majority. Millions of us sacrifice other necessities to fill our gas tanks and now face a winter with skyrocketing heating oil prices. The Pentagon shuts VA hospitals as more and more people depend on emergency rooms for medical care. Organizing by courageous Gold Star mothers like Cindy Sheehan make it easier for broader layers of people to see through "we need to keep sending troops to honor those who have already died" and to identify themselves with the anti-war movement.
And then Katrina... Many communities in the South's Black Belt have been treated like Third World free trade zones for decades -- poverty wages, neglect of public schools, roads, water sources and other infrastructure, and poisoned environment. New Orleans put it in the world's face, live and in color on global TV, horrifying millions. Are you Black or Brown? Are you a poor working-class white person, especially one who lives around Black and Brown folks? Are you elderly, disabled or sick, or lacking a car or a lot of money? Well, later for you. Don't count on any buses, but you'd best expect a police blockade between you and refuge in areas where your kind isn't wanted.
What Do We Do?
It's a volatile situation. People are making new connections every day. For example, Camp Casey-Covington, started by a half-dozen Veterans For Peace, has grown to 120 and become a major Louisiana distribution point for Katrina people-to-people aid. At the same time, vicious counterattacks from the administration and the Right are on the rise. Lacking a crystal ball, there are some things that we can keep an eye on and organize around:
Call for investigation and prosecution of the failed evacuation/relief. Demand the perpetrators be punished and driven from office. Don't let them blame the victims. Promote the work of the radical bloggers who are keeping the heat on the Bush administration.
Support the demands and the self-organization of Katrina survivors. Unite with the Black Liberation and immigrants rights movements. Many veteran grassroots organizers in Louisiana and Mississippi, like Community Labor United, are forming People's Committees of survivors. These groups aim to influence how resources are allocated and to demand decision-making power and jobs in the long-term redevelopment of New Orleans and other affected areas. They have raised the demand for the Right of Return.
Given the Black Liberation Movement's historic role in sparking progressive change in the US -- and the crucial Black-Brown alliance (linking with millions of undocumented immigrants) that is growing in the US South and among the survivor communities -- this could be the starter motor we need for a broad, multi-racial united front for social justice at home and against imperialist crimes abroad. Our anti-war/anti-occupation groups can play a key role in publicizing the demands and supporting the organizations of the survivors as they emerge.
Beat up on profiteering, crony capitalism and white male affirmative action -- here and in Iraq. The "new New Orleans" the rich are dreaming of would be a Dixieland jazz/Cajun cooking theme park for white tourists. Bush's promised aid will take the form of tax-breaks and investment incentives for businesses, and school vouchers and housing lotteries for the poor. Already Halliburton has massive no-bid reconstruction contracts for New Orleans, as small and minority-owned contractors are shut out.
Demand that the National Guard come back to battle disasters at home. Build the anti-war movement's state-by-state campaign against Iraq deployment. Resist federalization of the Guard -- putting them directly under Presidential command -- a major Bush/neocon goal.
Intensify counter-recruiting. Right now, the Pentagon has recruiters trolling for prospects among evacuees in the shelters of Baton Rouge and Houston. This is as opportunistic and flat-out immoral as telling the undocumented that their choice is military enlistment or deportation. It's urgent that the entire movement materially support anti-military organizers in immigrant and low-income communities as they develop culturally effective tactics and outreach materials.
Keep the heat on Congress. The Out Of Iraq Caucus is growing fast, but most senators and representatives still vote for every Iraq appropriation, mumbling, "We have to support the troops." The next time Pentagon comes shaking the tin cup for another $80 billion, the rubber has to meet the road. Money for Katrina, Not a Dime for Occupation!
Support the demands of veterans and military families and don't make the threshold too high for new people. The military sees the troops as disposable -- use 'em up and throw 'em away. We should unite with Veterans For Peace to protest the closing of VA hospitals, be there consistently for returning Iraq vets, and be welcoming to these new protesters rather than bombarding them with rhetoric, newspapers and maximum programs.
Don't fall for partial or phased withdrawal schemes. There will be a lot of elected officials and policy wonks pushing this. As Iraqi trade unionists on tour in the US told us clearly, the people of Iraq can't solve their problems until the US leaves. Partial withdrawals won't change that and will further endanger the remaining troops. BRING THEM HOME NOW! All of them!
National Executive Committee,
Freedom Road Socialist Organization /
Organización Socialista del Camino para la Libertad
September 21, 2005
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