April 16, 2003

In This Issue

SOME WANT TO believe the war is over, but I don't, and neither did the thousands who marched in the rain on Saturday. We were still actively resisting United States-led militarism, whether it be our occupation of Iraq and saber rattling toward potential new foes like Syria, or ongoing injustices in the Palestinian territories.

By late afternoon I was ready to dry off and relax, but there was one more important stop to make: a rally outside the Fairmont Hotel, where Rep. Nancy Pelosi was being presented the 2003 Alan Cranston Peace Award.

Using a combination of engaging street theater and a crowd of hundreds chanting jibes like "Who do you represent, us or Bush?," the event embodied active resistance.

Creating peace is hard work, whether you're marching in the rain or holding a leadership post in Congress. It's not enough to passively oppose George W. Bush's preventive war policies. It wasn't enough for Pelosi to vote against the congressional resolution that gave the president a blank check to wage war, and it was obscene of her to then push through a resolution supporting Bush and the troops.

In her speech Pelosi called for a national dialogue on the war and a strong international role in rebuilding Iraq. Again, that's not enough, not from our voice in Congress. The bottom line: Pelosi can't support Bush and still represent the views of her constituents.

If she truly represented the average San Franciscan, she would have introduced impeachment proceedings against Bush for gross violations of international law. She would hold hearings on the bombing of journalists in Baghdad and why we allowed Iraq to be looted and burned (as Robert Fisk chronicles so well on page 21). She would speak at the rallies instead of ducking meetings with local movement leaders.

The problem is fundamental and immediate. As Camille T. Taiara writes on page 21, we haven't even cleaned up our mess in Afghanistan before making another one in Iraq. At home, nonviolent protesters are being harassed, rounded up, and even shot (in violation of police guidelines, as A.C. Thompson documents on page 15).

This war has reignited a broader social justice movement, as Rachel Brahinsky chronicles on page 18, one that has the goal of transforming the political dialogue in this country. Pelosi can continue playing nice with Bush, or she can work with her constituents to bring an end to the rule of this dangerous man and his imperialist policies. She can't do both.