Resisting Endless War
Thomas Good (panel with Bill Ayers and Elaine Brower)

Chicago, IL – November 10, 2007.

Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) originally formed to support SDS: to do legal observation (in conjunction with the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) ), to raise bail money, help with press work, etc. But now, a year and a half later, MDS exists as an activist organization in its own right.

The key question facing MDS today is the same question that I heard raised in 1974. On May 4, 1974, I attended a rally at Kent State University at which Tom Hayden, Julian Bond and Dan Ellsberg spoke. With the US intervention in Viet Nam clearly ending (as the people of Viet Nam approached victory over US imperialism) the question was “Where do we (the peace movement) go from here?” Implicit in the question was the idea that the peace movement’s work was unfinished even though the 10 year war was finally ending. At the time no clear answer was offered. Last year I posed the same question to Hayden when I saw him in New York. He said: “I don’t know, we aren’t there yet.” My feeling is that we need to find an answer, and find it NOW if the peace movement is to avoid the same old problem – having to rebuild itself with each new war.

It is my contention that MDS is in a position to offer an answer. In fact, MDS is the answer. We differ from other groups in important ways:

* we are not single issue – we are about civil rights as well as antiwar organizing
* we are (at least currently) decentralized
* we do GENUINE coalition activism (not entryism, not seeking to dominate other organizations)
* we do Civil Disobedience in a nonviolent manner but are not pacifist
* we are sometimes called “confrontational” but are respected for our militancy
* we are antiauthoritarian and non-sectarian: willing to work with authoritarian formations,
negotiating political differences as they arise
* we have an irreverent sense of humor and a festive approach to protest this was well demonstrated in the Grim Reaper / Pro-war Zombie action “in support of” endless war – Times Square Recruiting Center (2nd iteration of the Iraq Moratorium)
* we are GENUINELY supportive of student activism, not looking to dominate or use students as a “youth section”
* we are supportive of GI resistance
* we do counter recruitment

All of these elements are essential, in my view, to surviving the end of the Iraq war – and to resisting endless war. We know the Corporate Statesman are already planning their next adventure. We need to be prepared to resist it and those who would promote it. MDS offers a viable vehicle for resisting the endless wars of US imperialism.

I turn now to a discussion of some MDS New York campaigns, in hopes of outlining our approach to resisting endless war.

Working in concert with SDS Pace MDS played a role in the removal of corrupt Pace University President David Caputo. Caputo raised tuition, enriched himself and decried Pace’s inability to retain students. He refused to recognize the local SDS chapter, refused to allow leafletting by SDS and generally violated the first amendment at every opportunity. His greatest error came when he arrested his own students (mostly SDS) for leafletting on the Pace campus where they were matriculated. The local transportation union issued a statement of solidarity with SDS and the faculty organized their own protest on the same site where the SDSers were arrested – in support of the local chapter. Caputo told the NY Times that 2006-2007 was a “grim year”. MDS is pleased to have helped make it so. Shortly after this comment the Board of Trustees sacked Caputo.

MDS New York, especially the Staten Island branch, applied the lessons of the Caputo campaign to a new effort directed against the “perfect Nazi”: super right wing chickenhawk congressman Vito Fossella (R, 13th CD). MDSers worked with Peace Action Staten Island (PASI) to conduct a coordinated campaign:

* an office occupation that involved us wearing our sunday best (I even wore a tie) as we “went to see our congressman” got us arrested when Fossella refused to meet with us…we were supported by SDS in a very nice role reversal
* we did a candlelight vigil at Vito’s home while he was there during Easter recess – although all we did was read the names of the NY state war dead (exactly what we did in Fossella’s office) the local precinct got an angry call and their C.O., a deputy inspector, showed up and was quite irate – he acted out in front of local press (threatening them as well as us), a blunder for him, blessing for us…meanwhile we continued to demand a meeting
* at our arraignment the DA declined to prosecute as he had no complaining witness (Vito was beginning to get smarter)
* after the arraignment we held a press conference at which I suggested that the two Republicans (the DA and the congressman)
simply wanted to avoid a situation that would put the war – and their complicity – on trial…this kept the story alive for another week as a local reporter speculated about collusion on the republican side.
* all of this rattled Fossella’s press secretary (Craig Donner) who called us “increasingly inappropriate”. I stated publicly that this was a great compliment considering it came from Fossella – who is clearly increasingly inarticulate under pressure.
* The “Filthy Rich for Fossella”, a Billionaires for Bush style group, held a local rally to raise money so the Fossella Five could afford to meet with Fossella, the corporate congressman…
* we got great press throughout and started our own campaign website, fossellafive.org
* local activist and Democratic Party candidate for congressman, Steve Harrison, supported us throughout and we now support him in his attempt to unseat Fossella…of course he will be held accountable by us for campaign promises – and his behavior in general (Harrison came to the CD, came to the arraignment and the press conf, he is no machine democrat)

We feel this campaign is a good example of how MDS does coalition activism and is able to mount a sustained, winnable, local campaign.

MDS New York also participates in the Iraq Moratorium.

* first iteration we supported New School SDS in their march to Times Square where they did a walking picket (a few of us who are NLG members did legal observation, others marched with SDS)
* MDSers held a “support endless war” rally at Times Square for the second Moratorium – me as the Grim Reaper (with a sign saying “Enlist Now, Pay Later”) and others as “pro-war corporate zombies”. We have never seen the recruiters so irritated. It was great fun and very effective.
* next (third) iteration will see MDS working with World Can’t Wait and SDS in a Union Square protest, I will speak at a City Hall press conference, pushing the Iran Pledge of Resistance

MDS NYC also fights NIMBY in Community Board One. The same woman who fought me when I was a campus organizer (Lorelei Stevens) is now trying to block housing for psychiatric patients. This is discriminatory and racist and we are working with others to live up to the NLG motto of “putting human rights before property rights”.

Other chapters are doing great things as well, things that indicate the breadth of MDS.

In Austin the chapter is composed of former Rag staff and other sympathetic parties. They are trying to help start a University of Texas SDS chapter. They also have a terrific yard sign campaign – and their signs are visible throughout Austin. MDSer David Hamilton authored an Iran Pledge of Resistance – an online petition with 400 signatories. Each signatory agrees to perform an act of civil resistance should the US attack Iran in any way, shape or form.

Central Florida MDS, located in Orlando, is a worthy counterpart to University of Central Florida SDS, graduates of which have joined the local MDS chapter. CF MDS is working on a local ballot initiative: a tax referendum letting the people decide if they wish to allow their mayor to offer corporate welfare to a local developer – to use tax money to refurbish sports arenas rather than provide jobs, housing, etc. MDS also organized a successful regional protest on October 27th, working with CodePINK, and this spawned the development of a new Jacksonville chapter of MDS.

In conclusion, MDS is becoming an effective force for resisting endless war by:

* doing grassroots coalition activism (for example, supporting Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) in NYC)
* engaging in decentralized direct action (using an affinity group approach) with others
* recruiting activists, not paper members
* supporting student organizing without interfering
* offering students somewhere to go after graduation
* offering a militant multi-issue approach
* documenting our resistance – as independent media
* having fun while doing the work!
* running local, winnable campaigns for civil rights while opposing the war…

Hayden pointed out that the Left needs to learn how to win and that it’s ok to win. MDS is the vehicle to do so, in my view. Our new video “Resist” encapsulates some of our work.

[ the video was aired at the end of the panel ]