January 18: A Call to Arms

January 18 presents a tremendous opportunity for the growing peace and justice movement to change the playing field of the struggle against the Bush Administration's plan to complete Amerikan domination over the world. On this day commemorating the great Martin Luther King, a man whose lifelong passion for justice reflected the only realistic path towards revolution in this country and paid the ultimate price for it, let us pay tribute in a forceful, courageous manner fitting for the occasion and times we are living in.

Folks, let's not kid ourselves, if we are serious about turning things around we must, in the great Bobby Seale's words, "SEIZE THE TIME." Bush is about to plunge the world into a disastrous conflict in Iraq which will be nothing like Gulf War I and potentially make Vietnam look tame in comparision. The economy continues to tank, racism runs rampant while arms and oil corporations are practically slobbering at the business opportunities offered by the coming conflict.

Let's turn this shit around January 18. There will probably be at least 100,000 people here, maybe more depending on how things go over the next couple weeks. The mood of the country and more importantly the world is strongly against the war and reflects the common sense intuition that something doesn't smell right. It shouldn't be shocking to realize that Bush had this attack planned out before he even stole the election (actually reported in corporate media) and 9-11 was the perfect excuse to get everyone pacified and anesthesized enough to just swallow and get ready for Gulf Slaughter Part 2.

I'm tired of these so-called "revolutionary anarchist" whiteboy "black blocs" showing up at every rally and acting like they running shit and badder than anyone else. I'm equally tired of these closet Stalin-admirers like ANSWER taking the credit for everything and trying to control every detail of the action making sure nobody even considers something as "daring" as simple nonviolent civil disobedience. What too many of the anarchists and ANSWER'ites (and white liberal peacniks) fail to remember from all their quasi-Buddhist readings is that it is possible to ACTIVELY, even AGGRESSIVELY though NONVIOLENTLY resist, in fact this may be the only realistic choice left for survival and "turning this around."

Can we drop all the self-labeling and really come together January 18? It should be a day to remember, forever. Think back to the days of Seattle 1999, May 1968, the Abraham Lincoln Brigade, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and John Brown - this is truly a time for sheroes and heroes. Time to stop looking for the next Gandhi, MLK, Huey Newton, Angela Davis, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, Che, Abbie Hoffman, Bruce Lee, Sub-commandante Marcos...we all know it's all of us or none of us. We've seen what happens when we get wrapped up with a big famous "charistmatic leader" - this country can be brutal in silencing domestic dissent when necessary, including offing the CEO of 1600 Pennsylvania.

So we're supposed to march on the Navy Yard in Anacostia. What an awful facility conveniently placed next to one of the most oppressed communities in New Rome...Let's find a way in. I don't want to stand outside afraid in the cold holding a lame sign and mouthing lame chants...Demonstrators in South Korea recently stormed a US military facility in protest against the acquittals of US soldiers who killed 2 Korean schoolgirls this past summer. If they could do it so can we - we will definitely have the numbers, and media won't be able to resist covering it. I don't think anything short of a step towards revolution will stop the current war machine. I hate to say it, but they may shoot and take down some of us. What did you think you signed up for, just volunteer for a couple years to assuage your guilt and go back to selling out for the Man?! I want to see what this "movement" is made out of on the 18th. Autonomous cells can also physically or electronically hit a number of conveninent targets here in DC or elsewhere, the list of appropriate locations in DC is endless - you can start with the NSA, CIA, NRA or Justice Dept. and move on to Exxon corporate HQ in Annandale, DynCorp in Vienna and any number of other lesser hateful military-industrial death corporations and agencies. It's Saturday, so most people will not be working at the offices and it will be mostly security personnel, just be smart and careful whatever you do. How about some highway overpass banner hangs over the Beltway or 66, like they've been doing recently in Seattle?

In case you're wondering, yes I'm local and I don't claim to know everyone in the so-called "scene" but I've seen enough to back up the opinions above. People inside and outside the US movement, around the world, right here in DC, are tired of sitting around and waiting for our so-called "leaders" to stand up and make things better. It's up to us, now. Probably the January 18 action will be heavily weighted by "outside" folks, disproportionately white, middle-class with a major campus representation. So what, don't think that means the locals, and repressed communities everywhere aren't in quiet solidarity with us. WHAT ARE WAITING FOR?!?! I find it a cowardly, privileged game that so many of us continue to play this denial game of guarding our lives over those of those in the so-called "Third World" we claim solidarity with but are ultimately unwilling to trade for our own. It's better to die standing than live kneeling down. Y'all know we are living in the "last days" so let's finally get together, get along,
Wake Up and Live!



Venceremos,


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