10-02-07, 9:19 am
Tens of thousands of people around the country will be gathering in at least 11 major cities in all regions of the country on October 27th to demand an end to war in Iraq.
From Seattle to Orlando, Boston to Los Angeles, New Orleans to Chicago, Jonesborough, Tennessee to Salt Lake City Utah. Red states and blue states. Go online at to find a march near you and make plans to attend.
Al Fishman is a member of the steering committee of the Detroit Area Peace and Justice Network. That coalition is mobilizing hundreds of Detroit area people to travel to Chicago, about a five hour trip.
Fishman explained, 'We're mobilizing people for the Peace Train. That will be comprised of two Amtrak cars from the Detroit area to Chicago.' Fishman expects that about 140 people will sign up for the train, while hundreds of others will carpool to Chicago.
Fishman further talked about the importance of the march to break the impasse in Congress forced by Republicans who have circled the wagons around Bush.
'Most of the Democrats in Congress,' Fishman said, 'are fearful of denying the money to the military and denying the money for the troops in Iraq.'
Fishman sees the congressional conundrum over funding as a contradiction. 'It is not a way to support the troops by sending more to their death,' he said.
Fishman pointed out that the one way to end the war is using the power of the purse. But he added, it is going to take a real struggle to win Congress over to seeing the need to stop the funding.
One starting point is for members of Congress to sign a letter, which has been signed so far by more than 80 members, to President Bush saying they will not vote for funding for the war except in the case of the speedy return of the troops from Iraq.
Fishman expressed concern that some might view the Republican roadblock to progress toward ending the war as a failing of the Democratic majority and use it as an excuse to sit out the 2008 elections.
'Personally I am hopeful that people won't see this as a basis for not participating in the 2008 elections, because in a real sense the 2008 elections is the second phase of the 2006 elections,' he noted.
'The job has to be completed,' Fishman said. A president and a Congress willing to halt the 'world-cop' role of the US have to be put into office, he concluded.
Based on her reporting for a recent article in the People's Weekly World, reporter Susan Webb talked about the significance of a new approach to organizing for the October 27th march in Chicago.
Unlike the excellent organizing of peace demonstrations of the past, 'this event is being organized in a very different way,' Webb said.
Organizers appear to be focusing on communities and sections of the people who are not part of organized groups, peace groups, or social actions groups.
The point is, Webb said, that even though the majority of Americans want to end, organizers have to make sure those people can play a role in speaking up about it.
The Chicago march will attract buses, trains, and carpools from St. Louis, Minnesota, Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as Detroit, said Webb.
She added that the march's organizers see people power is needed to break the gridlock in Congress. A broader gathering of people is needed to sway the moderates in Congress to vote with the majority of Americans who want the war to end.
'The lesson we have right now is that there is an impasse,' Webb reported. Congressional leaders have thrown up their hands because of Republican roadblocks on moving forward with legislation to end the war.
'The ball is in our court to press this forward.' said Webb.
--Joel Wendland can be reached at
