A Time To Scream

A question that has to be asked, and a solution which is a lot more clever (and fun!) than you might think.

Jim Oberg, a retired engineer with a wife and two cats, asks the question:

How did it happen that my country has become a torturer, and even a defender publicly of our right to use torture in our 'defense'? Why has my country come to claim it our right to preemptively and illegally invade and occupy other countries, even one that was no imminent threat, killing thousands of innocents in the process? When did my country become unwilling to respond swiftly with our aid and compassion when disaster strikes its own citizens, as we saw in horror when Katrina struck with such fury? What has brought my country to establish a network of secret prisons around the world, where unknown numbers may be held without charge and with no way to monitor their treatment? How is it we can allow our government to unlawfully spy upon any citizen without a warrant, and to then boldly claim their unlimited authority to do anything they deem necessary to 'protect' us. Who authorizes these crimes and who carries them out when I never, ever would provide my assent for these horrific actions to be done in my name?

Fortunately, Jim also has a solution, or at least a good proposal:

This Tuesday, George Bush delivers his State of the Union address, and all across America, a new movement for change, the World Can't Wait: Drive out the Bush Regime, will gather many thousand of citizens to proclaim that we in actual fact face a terrible state of emergency in this country, and loudly demand that they STEP DOWN. We will then, in towns and cities all across the country, drown out his speech with noise of all kinds, music and bells and car horns and our angry voices, calling on everyone to wake up to the danger we all face, and the possibility of creating a new direction for our country. This regime clearly does not represent the majority of Americans. It is time for us all to get out of our homes, out from behind our TV and computer screens, make ourselves visible in our unity, and demand that they stop this madness that has overtaken our country.

I like it. In Argentina, people used to lean out the windows and bang pots and pans as a symbol of protest against the old right-wing military regimes of the 70s and 80s. It worked!

So tell your friends, tell your family, warn your neighbours: then get yer pots and pans out and prepare to make yourself heard!!!

For more information about Jim's proposal, and other actions taking place around the State of the Union address, go to the worldcantwait.org website.