March 18 2003

In This Issue

FORTY-SIX hours to go. By the time you read this, we'll probably be at war. –It's Monday night in San Francisco, just two hours after President Bush issued his ultimatum to Saddam Hussein. Nobody seriously thinks the Iraqi leader is going to leave his country and let Bush take it over without a fight – a fight the Iraqi people will lose. I found it particularly interesting that Bush didn't say much about protecting innocent people or preserving the civilian infrastructure of the nation of 23 million people – but he did specifically warn the Iraqi military not to set fire to the oil wells.

Everywhere you go in this city, people are anxious – and angry. Bush is not only starting a bloody war, for no good reason; he's also turning the United States into a rogue nation, mangling what little was left of our international reputation and leaving a legacy of bitterness and hatred around the world that we'll all be dealing with long after Bush has left the White House.

As A.C. Thompson and Steven T. Jones report in a pair of articles on pages 20 and 22, activists are responding with a wide range of tactics. The anarchist Black Bloc wants to shut down the city with, essentially, riots – and I think it's safe to say this war will drive a lot of normally calm, law-abiding people to violence. A much larger majority of peace-loving protesters wants to shut down business as usual, too – with walkouts, marches, and nonviolent civil disobedience.

Then there are the people who won't be in the streets but are ready to dash off angry letters: to Congress, to the newspapers, to anyone who will listen.

Everywhere, the call is for no business as usual – and that can mean a whole lot of different things to different people.

Me, I'm not going to blame the Black Bloc when windows get smashed – I'm going to blame the guy who got us into this mess, guaranteeing all sorts of unpleasant unrest. And I'm not going to tell someone that holding up a sign on Market Street is a waste of time just because it hasn't changed Bush's mind, or that staying home from the movies one night to write a letter to Congress is a pointless gesture. Everything helps.

When the bombs drop, just do something – whatever you think is right. That's what will work.