Grief, Rage, Hope—Mixed Emotions Must Come Together In United Actions

I don't need to comment on the self-evident grief and rage felt by those who worked so hard to try to prevent this war. But is there justification for hope? I believe there is.

Already the massive international antiwar movement forced most governments of the world to keep their distance from the Bush/Blair war. Regardless of the military outcome B&B will pay a shocking and awesome political price—a price that will cause future administrations to think twice before pursuing a similar course.

For the first time significant sectors of the U.S. union movement joined students and traditional peace groups in opposing war.

Despite the media propaganda, and appeals to rally round the flag, even the slanted mainstream polls show fully 25 percent of the American people remain opposed to the war. Such solid opposition at the launch of a war is unprecedented. The polls also show that those backing the war out of a sense of supporting the troops also overwhelmingly support the rights of protesters. More than that, there is much evidence that many are prepared to discuss issues with opponents of war.

We need to collectively, as a movement, overcome our grief, channel our rage, embrace hope. We should take pride in what we have done—and be ready to do much more of the same. We need to reach out to the working class majority in our community with a message of truth and protest delivered in a variety of calm, rational, respectful actions.

We should never forget that not only is this war morally and legally wrong—it is also counter to the material interests of American working people. That's a group that has more potential might than cruise missiles and daisy-cutters. “Without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn." Tap into that kind of power and we can stop any war.