On March 19th, 2003, despite the best efforts of some Democratic leaders in the House who listened to the protesters and organized behind an October 2002 analysis put together by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the war went ahead as policymakers and members of the Bush administration had planned. It set in motion a war of “shock and awe” that would last through two presidential elections.
Key Groups in the Movement
CODEPINK, A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now Stop War End Racism), Military Families Speak Out, Not In Our Name, Veterans for Peace, United for Peace and Justice, and World Can’t Wait are all groups that have made the peace movement what it is and has been. There are several other groups who have participated in actions but these are the ones who have organized on a national level and gained widespread attention.
A play off the homeland security color-coded advisory system set up by the Bush administration, CODEPINK was started in November of 2002 by women to stop the pre-emptive strike on Iraq. Medea Benjamin, Starhawk, Jodie Evans, Diane Wilson, and hundreds of other women participated in a four month vigil in front of the White House.
CODEPINK’s mission statement on their website says that it is:
a women-initiated grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end the war in Iraq, stop new wars, and redirect our resources into healthcare, education and other life-affirming activities. We reject the Bush administration's fear-based politics that justify violence, and instead calls for policies based on compassion, kindness and a commitment to international law. With an emphasis on joy and humor, CODEPINK women and men seek to activate, amplify and inspire a community of peacemakers through creative campaigns and a commitment to non-violence.
Indeed, in recent days, CODEPINK has proven to be a force that keeps the peace movement alive what with their involvement in the Berkeley City Council’s decision to declare a marine recruiting center unwelcome and grant CODEPINK a weekly parking space outside the center for protest (which has been rescinded to thanks to the Republicans in the Senate who violated the city’s civil liberties and threatened to strip federal funding if the city council stood by its decision).
CODEPINK’s success has stemmed from the passion and vigor with which they confront our elected leaders and others who work in D.C. demanding an end to this war. Several CODEPINK members have been arrested for interrupting hearings to make demands, correct lies, expose half-truths, or fill in convenient omissions. Yet, always CODEPINK returns to the scene to show they will not back down. This conduct has made CODEPINK a force to be reckoned with nationwide.
CODEPINK’s tactic of unfurling banners in hearings and conventions has greatly benefited the peace or “end the war” movement. For example, during the Republican convention in 2004, a banner that read, "Cheney and Halliburton, making a killing in Iraq”, was unfurled causing Cheney to pause during his speech. Also, during the same convention, another member unveiled a banner during First Lady Laura Bush's speech that read, "Be pro-life: Stop the killing in Iraq."
Act Now, Stop War, and End Racism (ANSWER) is another group that has become a prime component of the antiwar movement. ANSWER was started by the former attorney general Ramsey Clark’s and the Workers World Party’s International Action Center (IAC). The organization was formed three days after September 11th to protest the Bush policies being implemented after the attack. From there, ANSWER grew to be an organization that organized the U.S. protest in the worldwide days of action held prior to the Iraq invasion.
ANSWER was part of the movement before CODEPINK and before people started to protest the Iraq War. The first major action it organized was on September 29, 2001. That action was to protest the impending invasion of Afghanistan.
ANSWER’s history is unique because most antiwar groups do not take that extra step and address U.S. imperialism and particular, the U.S.'s support for Israel. ANSWER does, and specifically, ANSWER holds pro-Palestine demonstrations directed at Israeli apartheid in the Middle East.
ANSWER’s mission statement says that it is:
a coalition of hundreds of organizations and prominent individuals and scores of organizing centers in cities and towns across the country. Its national steering committee represents major national organizations that have campaigned against U.S. intervention in Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia, and organizations that have campaigned for civil rights and for social and economic justice for working and poor people inside the United States.
The group has been behind most if not all of the nationally and internationally organized protests against the U.S. involvement in the Middle East. It usually is able to get tens of thousands of people to attend (although the group has been accused of exaggerating attendance).
Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) is a peace group that, according to their site, is an “organization of people opposed to the war in Iraq who have relatives or loved ones currently in the military or who have served in the military since the buildup to the Iraq war in fall of 2002.” Their “membership currently includes over 3,700 military families” and more families join every day.
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