Let's Try Democracy

Writing in an Age of Terror
By David Swanson

Remarks delivered at National Writers Union conference in Philadelphia, October, 29, 2005, opening forum with Ed Herman, Danny Schechter, and Linn Washington, on “Writing in an Age of Terror.”

_______________

Obviously, if this really were an age of terror, an age in which we were all terrorized, there would be no writing. You can’t write if you’re terrorized. I mean, you can, but your writing will have all the clarity of a campaign read more

Why I’m Getting Arrested at the White House Today
By David Swanson, October 26, 2005

The first reason I’m going to lie down, refuse to move, and wait to be arrested outside the White House today is my belief that massive civil disobedience is needed if we are going to end the war and forestall the next war. The power of nonviolent sacrifice has been tried and tested. It may not work this time, but nothing else seems remotely likely to do the job, not even my most extravagant hopes read more

Remarks at “Plan B for Baghdad” Event, Denver, Col., October 15, 2005
By David Swanson

I wrote these remarks down on Thursday, when a Washington Post columnist was pleading with Patrick Fitzgerald to please just go away, and a New York Times news article was claiming that if Lewis Libby leaked anything, he did so with the best of intentions. Meanwhile virtually no voices in the corporate media were asking why Joe Wilson had to be attacked, who had made the false claims that Wilson read more

Can we end the war in Iraq from Denver this Saturday? I don’t know. I’ve never been to Denver before. But we can try to do our bit. Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio will be the keynote speaker.

I’ll be talking about the Downing Street Memo.

Sign up here:

Peace!

By David Swanson

I recommend the movie “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which is named with the line with which Ed Murrow ended his news broadcasts on CBS News, back when CBS did news. It’s a well-made movie and ought to be heartening, except that it gives you an intense pain in your stomach when you realize that the corporate pressures Murrow was under have completely taken over, that we haven’t just lost the literacy and the cigarettes, that we’ve lost the ability of read more

By David Swanson

PHOTO: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee this morning

A growing list of Congress Members are not just speaking out about Bill Bennett’s recent racist remarks on his radio show. Some of them are pressuring the network that airs his show, Salem Radio Network, and asking the sponsors that fund it to withdraw their support. One already has. Other Congress Members are asking the Federal Communications Commission to censure, suspend, and fine Bennett.

If you’ve been wisely read more

Can’t buy you votes, votes
Can’t buy you votes

You can forget my vote, my friend, if you support this war
I’ll laugh at your ads, my friend, if you support this war
‘Cause all you care about is money, but money can’t buy you votes

If the other guy is for the war, how can you be for it too?
I don’t vote for corporate whores, and I sure won’t vote for you
So go ahead and spend your money, money can’t buy you votes

Can’t buy you votes, everybody read more

In Support of Weakness on National Security
By David Swanson

A senior staff person for one of the most progressive and courageous members of Congress recently advised a room full of peace activists that they won’t be able to persuade Democrats to oppose the war simply by showing them polls finding that a majority of Americans oppose the war. Rather they must assuage the Democrats’ fears of being called “weak on national security.”

But that’s not possible. Opponents read more

Well, that’s the official due date anyway.

The Relevance of Marching
By David Swanson

David Corn, www.davidcorn.com, published an article today on his site and on www.tompaine.com arguing that last weekend’s march on Washington to end the war was a waste of time and money and energy and won’t help end the war. I disagree, but think Corn makes some useful points.

Corn’s arguments include:
1-these marches always result in debates over how many people showed up
2-not enough people showed up
3-there’s read more