Five Borough Report June 2003
Supplement
From 9/11/01 to a Political "9ll" in 2004:
Notes on New Yorkers at the Global Ground Zero
Robb Burlage
Putting
a solidly-progressive foot forward now: Planning for a Convention of American Working
Families with local and national organized labor and allies in the original
New Deal-revival spirit of 9/11 – providing grounded visionary leadership
for the world marching on Manhattan in August, 2004.
We
gather at a Symposium on June 20th, 2003, with Sumner Rosen (upon his 80th
birthday) in lower Manhattan at the Local 32BJ SEIU union hall to discuss
vital strategic analysis and action - toward the looming epochal 2004
Presidential and Congressional elections. As Bill Moyers has recently
keynoted, we are challenged to action in the coming months for nothing less
than the preservation and expansion of democracy itself in a society
suddenly transformed, as he put it, into "half oligarchy and half
democracy."
We seek together to
confront the new permanent global war political economy, coupled with
anti-government corporate greed not seen in 100 years, and to assess their
impact on New York and all U.S. cities. We also seek to support a new
resistance coalition uniting cities, organized labor, and the anti-cutback
and the anti-war/anti-globalization movements in a "New New Deal"
offensive that is necessarily both defensive/preservationist and visionary.
In fourteen months, when
the Republican Presidential Renominating Convention hits town, the whole
world will be marching on and around Manhattan. We, therefore, have
special political leadership and stewardship responsibilities and opportunities,
analogous to those after 9/11/01 when we, along with the Nation,
experienced a revived "New Deal" national solidarity with the
working family victims and first-responders. We have responsibility
now to (1) contribute to a shared understanding of the epochal challenge of
this new global and domestic political economy represented by this
Administration and Congress; and (2) begin comprehensive coalition-building
with a practical but visionary program uniting and energizing
us.
These times and this
place are and will be quite unlike Chicago Summer 1968, with the
demonstrators chanting (to the TV cameras): "The Whole World is
Watching!" In this time in this place, after the globally-unprecedented
protest marching against the unilateral U.S. war on Iraq, the whole world
will be marching…a million or more predictably to and surrounding
Manhattan, from Madison Square Garden and even as close as possible to
Ground Zero to "defend" the continuing civic, working-families,
community-rebuilding spirit of Lower Manhattan.
All
this will be in obvious protest of this Republican attempt at a global
imperial coronation, including a planned, doubly-insulting Ground Zero
working-families-graveyard photo-op.
Ground Zero is indeed the mass gravesite of mostly working class New
Yorkers, as well as people from many nations. It would be
insulting to the heroes, including uniformed (and unionized) first
responders. It would be insulting as well to the "New Deal"
moment of cooperation and support of the working and immigrant families.
Our responsibility now is
to begin preparing for an energized, visionary, policy-meaningful grass
roots Convention for American Working Families. This will help provided grounded program and visionary
leadership for the world marching in New York. We will by then have been through the experience of the
"vision primaries" and platform hearings producing the Democratic
Party opposition candidate ticket in Boston a few weeks before. Our
responsibility is to help plan humanly respectful and politically
meaningful anti-Bush Administration demonstrations among the diverse global
multitude, amidst what otherwise might be provoked, repressed, and
potentially counter-productive havoc.
Those
grieving, mostly working families, of 9/11 victims, not only will be called
forth to protest the cynically opportunistic political "use" of
this gravesite of 9/11/01. These and all working families are
also now increasingly aware, and are increasingly angry, about the actual
impacts on our city and cities across America, as well as directly on
unionized families and retirees and on the most vulnerable and needy among
us.
Those
grieving 9/11 working families, supported by and allied with New York and
national organized labor, should and must lead any protest demonstrations
"up front", including with their impassioned, disciplined
seriousness about what united opposition must mean in the epochally pivotal
'04 election.
We and
they together will indeed demonstrate and march together in and around
Manhattan and Ground Zero…and across the world.
Here
is a vital and predictably historic event to be centered on our City in the
next fourteen months - far more than symbolic; yet certainly hopefully not
"Chicago-'68-like, chaotic" (though Administration spinning and
event "provacateuring" can also be expec-ted). We are
anticipating (and organizing) a kind of 9-1-1 emergency political alarm in
the working spirit of 9/11/01. It can be a real expression of anger
and hope in the streets (and on the webs and listservs and desktop
presses); as well as shoring up the campaigning in the precincts. It is
also the opportunity for a major grass roots, energizing, visionary, policy-practicable
Counter-Convention, following weeks after the Democratic Nominating
Convention in Boston.
May the
strategic analysis and on-the-ground political strategy discussions around
the June 20th Sumner Rosen Symposium/Honoring Luncheon be further developed
in more profound analysis for more united and dedicated action…from this so
appropriate ---- we hope well and timely utilized - June 20th, 2003 day of
recognition.
June 2003
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