Don't Mourn, Organize

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
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DON’T MOURN, ORGANIZE
In the wake of Bush’s election, time to regroup and take the long view:
The bad news is obvious and awful,
but the good news is that our movement continues to grow
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Here at United for Peace and Justice we share with millions of people around the
country – and millions more around the world – a sense of horror about what happened
on election day. The largest grassroots electoral mobilization in memory was not
strong enough to unseat George W. Bush. We are upset by the outcome, and disgusted
that the politics of fear have been so fine-tuned by Karl Rove and company. We are
outraged by the voter intimidation, vote suppression, and other tactics of
disenfranchisement used before and on November 2.

But we are not totally surprised by the outcome of this election. For more than 40
years the right wing has been planning, organizing, fund raising, and executing
strategies for taking control of this country. With George W. Bush and the so-called
“war on terror,” they have found the perfect instrument for consolidating their
power.

We’ve known for a long time what we are up against. We worked with all our might to
stop the U.S. from going to war against Iraq, but we could not prevent it, even with
10 million people taking to the streets simultaneously around the world on February
15, 2003. We have all been working hard to end that war and occupation and to bring
the troops home, and even though the lies behind the war have been exposed, we have
not yet succeeded.

At the same time, every day we are inspired by the outpouring of energy and
creativity around the country. In the past few years the peace and justice movement
has been re-ignited: vigils, rallies, and marches in hundreds of cities; a rich
outpouring of cultural dissent; activism in schools, workplaces, and places of
worship; and some of the most massive mobilizations our country has ever seen. Just
this past August 29, at least 500,000 people marched in New York City on the eve of
the Republican National Convention. And in these past two months vast numbers of
people put their time into an unprecedented grassroots electoral mobilization,
including voter registration, voter education, get-out-the-vote and election
protection campaigns.

Our long-term hope lies in this grassroots upsurge, and to win, we need to take the
long-term view. No, the Bush Agenda was not defeated on Nov. 2, and we share the
frustration and anger of so many activists. But the truth is that the progressive
social change community...the peace and justice movement...is not yet strong enough
to successfully change those in power.

That does not mean we are giving up or going away. On the contrary: As we take a
moment to catch our breath, and get some needed rest, we are already beginning to
sort through the lessons of this election and our recent past. In the days and weeks
ahead we'll all see lots of analysis about what happened. We encourage you to
organize discussions about what happened in the election, and where we should be
headed as a movement.

United for Peace and Justice always knew that our work to end the occupation of Iraq
would not be immediately affected by the outcome of the presidential race. We are
preparing to move into a period of much more focused organizing on the Iraq war,
working with local groups around the country on implementing plans to reach the
people we don't usually talk to. As that work unfolds, we are exploring ways to
strengthen the impact of our mobilizations, including planning for activities that
might make it harder for those in charge to actually carry out this war.

Look for new organizing materials from us in the near future, as well as resources
for deepening the discussion and expanding our grassroots base. In the meantime, we
encourage you to keep the fighting spirit alive by displaying one of our “Say No to
the Bush Agenda” flags or t-shirts, available through
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/merchandise

As the nation begins to look back on the election of 2004, we remain committed to
looking ahead. The United for Peace and Justice coalition of more than 800 national
organizations and local groups has tremendous potential. Working together has made
it possible for us to make a significant contribution to the larger social change
movement. The months and years ahead will not be easy, but we are hopeful that our
common efforts will bring us closer toward a world where justice triumphs and peace
prevails.

United for Peace and Justice

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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email