Expats Against Bush

US Soldiers to America: Bring Us Home Now

An interesting interview with an anonymous US non-com reservist freshly back from Iraq - it's pretty tough reading but you can see this guy is pretty torn up about the whole situation:

USA-- -“I guess you’re right and that might be why I am trying to speak out and let the Americans know that they are sending us to be slaughtered. If you don’t mind I am going to cut through all the niceties and get down to why I am going against every oath I took and giving you this interview. I am doing it for the guys still over there and for the ones who are going. If I’m not careful I’ll end up back there for another six months.”

Hold On To Your Humanity: An Open Letter to GIs in Iraq, by Stan Goff, Retired U.S. Army Veteran

Desert Turkey a la George

In a bit of a surprise visit, it looks like George has swept in on wings of steel to spend a nice Thanksgiving - or at least 2 hours of it - with our boys in Iraq. Well, the ones near the airport anyway.

The generous side of me wants to believe he did this out of a genuine desire to say thanks to our boys. I'm sure that was a large factor, and fair play to him.

But I can't help thinking there's also a large dose of "guts or glory" association being shoved down our throats here, fresh on the heels of the RNC ad; President Bush as the folksy, down to earth wartime president, evoking Truman perhaps. Don't believe the hype.

Bush vs. Women

Thanks for asking me to be a guest, Luke. I hope you don't regret it!

First a quick disclaimer. I don't speak for all expats, I'm only speaking for me. So if you feel moved to respond to the following post, please make sure you're addressing me, rather than the group. [Editor's note: It should also be said that if this post looks like it's going to turn into a mud-slinging session I will shut down commenting on it - so keep it civil. -Luke]

By the title, I'm sure you've guessed I'm going to talk about the "partial-birth" abortion ban that Bush recently signed into law. Well, it isn't just that--it's his entire record on dealing with issues that primarily affect women. I have a number of reasons why I'm not in favor of Bush, but I'll speak out on this one because it's something I care deeply about, both personally and professionally. Bush was appointed just after I started my master's degree in public health, community health education. I did an internship with a local family planning agency in my second year. I never realized until then how much politics affected me as a woman living in the U.S. It was quite a culture shock, moving to the U.K., suddenly getting free birth control and having no worries about my legal right to an abortion.

As a health educator, I believe Bush is going in completely the wrong direction by insisting on abstinence-based sex education. Numerous research studies in the U.S. have shown that comprehensive programs, which include information on birth control methods, are more effective at reducing teen pregnancy numbers than abstinence-based or abstinence-only programs. Agencies who try to use best practice and follow this research are denied funding. The Bush administration has also taken funding away from international family planning, due to the misguided idea that this will prevent abortions. Unfortunately, many clinics that depend on this funding source will have to close, leaving already impovershed women without ANY family planning services at all. That equals no birth control, which equals increased demand for abortion. Doesn't take a genius to figure that out.

Our reproductive freedom is in serious danger now, dependent on the lives of Supreme Court Justices. Should one or more of them drop dead (knock wood) in the next year, Bush would be able to appoint conservative justices who oppose Roe v. Wade. All three branches of the government would then be committed to eroding reproductive rights.

The recent signing of the "partial-birth" abortion ban is frightening. It makes no provision for this procedure in the case of danger to the mother's health. It is one of a series of steps designed to make having a legal abortion near impossible in the U.S. Already a large majority of women do not have any abortion providers practicing near them. In my home state, Wisconsin, there are only 3-4 counties out of over 70 where you can actually get an abortion. The death threats by religious nutters and intimidation by the government is causing their numbers to dwindle.

Now here's the part where I personally defend my Pro-Choice stance. Unless I'm the one with my feet up in the stirrups, I don't feel that I can make a choice on abortion. No, I don't advocate using abortion as "birth control". I honestly doubt anyone does--this is merely another bit of propaganda by the anti-choice religious right. Yes, I'm sure the "partial-birth" abortion looks really awful, and people who are not medically trained would be distressed by it. Yes, I'm sure some women who have had abortions regretted it later. But some women who have children regret it as well. Yes, some religions forbid it, and some so-called religious people would say it is a sin. But we don't legislate morality in the U.S. The bottom line is FREEDOM TO CHOOSE. I thought our "Fearless Dealer" was all for "freedom". I believe every child should be a WANTED child. And that means keeping abortion legal and accessible for all women. EVERYONE can agree that it would be a good thing if the number of abortions went down. However, it is the mechanism we disagree on. Bush and his religious right want to prevent pregnant women accessing medical procedures, and sensible people want to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies by increasing access to and lowering the cost of birth control and having comprehensive sexual health education in schools.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the signing of the "partial birth" abortion ban "a slap in the face to women across America". I'd like to call on all women and men who support them, expats and U.S. residents, to slap back in November 2004. At the protest last week, I saw a young woman with a large sign reading "Get Bush out of my bush!" I think that sums it up rather nicely, don't you?

P.S. - See the Truth About George for a compilation of his worst offences against women.

More on the RNC Bush ad - WaPo

Richard Cohen writes:

[A]bout the only way to find out what really happened is through the political process. This is especially the case because the Senate has gone from being the world's greatest deliberative body to the world's greatest rubber stamp. Naturally and predictably, the White House would like to avoid any accounting whatever and is likely to respond to criticism with demagogic appeals to patriotism. I hope it doesn't work. I love my country and I love the truth and I always thought the best thing about being an American is that you don't have to choose.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all you expats out there - those of you (like me) who haven't been able to make it home for Thanksgiving, I hope you have a turkey dinner lined up for tonight whereever you are.

Our thoughts tonight must go out to those who are having to celebrate under rather harsher conditions than most of us will ever have to endure.

FBI Issues unusual denial

In a move sure to fan the flames of conspiracy theorists everywhere, the FBI publicly denied the allegations made in the New York Times over the weekend and commented on by my sister here.

It's reassuring to hear that

The Attorney General Guidelines permit agents to attend such rallies only "[f]or the purpose of detecting or preventing terrorist activities," and explicitly prohibit "maintaining files on individuals solely for the purpose of monitoring activities protected by the First Amendment." We scrupulously follow those limitations, and we do not investigate or maintain dossiers on persons because of their "political activities."

That's good to know. I mean, if John Ashcroft says so, I have nothing to worry about.

That being said, my friends and family are now laying odds on whether or not I'll be detained coming through Immigration when I return for Christmas. I'd really prefer not to be, if it's all the same to you, thanks very much.

Paul Krugman on Bush's 1st Ad Offensive

Krugman strikes again for the NYT, this time laying into the new RNC ad which equates being critical of Bush with being "soft on terror". As Mr Krugman so eloquently points out, and as we've said here till we're blue in the face, nobody has an issue with the general idea of combating terrorism - but we have a real issue with the way that Bush is going about it - ergo diverting attention away from the real centers of terror (i.e. Afghanistan) and destabilizing areas that were previously well-contained (i.e. Iraq):

What the critics say is that this loss of focus seriously damaged the campaign against terrorism. Strategic assets in limited supply, like Special Forces soldiers and Predator drone aircraft, were shifted from Afghanistan to Iraq, while intelligence resources, including translators, were shifted from the pursuit of Al Qaeda to the coming invasion. This probably allowed Qaeda members, including Osama bin Laden, to get away, and definitely helped the Taliban stage its ominous comeback. And the Iraq war has, by all accounts, done wonders for Qaeda recruiting. Is saying all this attacking the president for attacking the terrorists?

The challenge for the Democrats now will be to counter this sort of ad effectively in a way which reaches your everyday voter without shooting themselves in the foot.

TypePad back up

Apologies to all who tried to post comments in the last few hours - TypePad apparently had a system-wide meltdown. Should be OK now.

UK Expats - Democrats Abroad Wants You!

Today I received this email from Stan Grossman, membership coordinator for Democrats Abroad (UK):

Dear Member of DAUK,

Thanks to the efforts of many new -- and not so new members -- our membership now stands above 1900. It stood at 1400 in early September. We have five weeks to go until the end of the year and, with students and other groups getting active, we have a chance of reaching our membership goal. But we need your help to do so.

Over 1000 of you will receive this email. Please sign up a few new members. Ask your American friends. Go to a holiday party where Americans living in the UK are present and ask them to join us. All we need is a name, an email address and a voting state (other contact details are helpful). This should be emailed to me and to: membership@democratsabroad.org.uk

With your help we can start our 2004 Get Out The Vote efforts with a greater initial reach which will help us make sure that as many Americans as possible will have registered in time and requested their ballots to vote. More members by January 1st also means that the votes we cast at the UK Caucus on February 9 will carry more weight in determining our Presidential candidate.

We need your help to defeat George W Bush in 2004.

Regards,

Stan

Stanley Grossman
DAUK Membership Coordinator

I urge all of you American expats who have not yet registered with Democrats Abroad to do so now, and get your friends registered as well.

Unlike Republicans Abroad, the worldwide membership of Democrats Abroad actually has a voting stake in the primaries and sends delegates to the Democratic National Convention. By registering with Democrats Abroad you actually get the chance to influence which candidate will eventually get selected to run against George Bush next year.

It is important that you register before the end of the year as that is the cutoff date for Democrats Abroad's worldwide tally of the various country memberships and how many votes each country can cast.

There are no membership fees, you will only receive one or two emails a month, and you will be kept in the loop regarding Get Out the Vote efforts and details of absentee ballot procedures.

Now is the right time to get involved. Please do!

Goldman Sachs: "The US budget is out of control"

Isn't the GOP supposed to be the party of small goverment? Reining in spending, fiscal discipline, that sort of thing?

Possibly not.

Perhaps if they weren't so inclined to help certain folks out at the expense of others, then they could start to grab hold of the "solvency issue".

Between you and me, I have always been really suspect as soon as people start carping on about "corporate cronyism" and the like - it usually sets off my liberal rant filter and I make my excuses. But I'm starting to think there's something to the idea that big business have really got a hold on this administration to a degree that we haven't seen before, and it's not a good thing.

Frequently-Sent Hatemails (FSH)

I'm going to address some of the common themes that seem to be cropping up in the comments and hatemails that people seem to be dashing off with incredible regularity.

1. "You and your kind are traitors to the US and should be charged with treason"
Hmmm. So by expressing our sincere dismay that our home is being ruined by what we see as bad leadership, we are traitors? Everyone in my group to a person loves their country, or else they wouldn't be bothered to get involved, certainly not in my group.

So, think back to 1999 or so. Clinton has sent US troops into Kosovo, and you don't agree with it. You love your country, but you believe Clinton is leading it in the wrong direction. You express this opinion, and maybe, just maybe, get some folks organized to demonstrate against it.

Is that treasonous? If you believe totally and without doubt that you are helping to right a wrong that is being done to your country, in the face of harsh criticism and public apathy, then I fail to see where the treason lies. Perhaps you are suggesting that it's treasonous to dissent with the President or with the Administration? If so, then I think a civics lesson is in order.

2. "If you're not supporting our President, then you're supporting Osama/Saddam."
Wrong wrong wrong. I hate terrorism. I have no sympathy for men who destroy innocent lives to make a political point, and I am not against war when it is necessary or justified. I did not take issue with us going into Afghanistan as that was directly addressing a threat to our national security.

But the way Bush has behaved ever since then, once it was decided that we would go after Saddam come hell or high water, has hurt our national security in many ways, not the least of which was removing resources from the hunt for bin Laden (who had attacked us) and diverting them to the fight against Saddam (who had not). By re-prioritizing Saddam and making Iraq the central battleground in the War on Terror, Bush removed any moral authority we had post-9/11 and squandered our chance to really hurt terrorism.

Instead, by spreading our forces thin and preemptively attacking Iraq against the wishes of the majority of the world, without a UN mandate, and with no clear plan for what to do with Iraq in the "Phase IV" post-conquest period, Bush has now come full circle and created a giant terrorist recruitment ad: "See? They are imperialist aggressors! Come join the fight! They don't have enough soldiers to cover you all anyway!"

Am I happy the Iraqi people are no longer under Saddam's thumb? Of course, that's not even a question. But you can't celebrate the ends without examining the means - and it is my firm belief that the means that we used to go into Iraq are going to have a longterm and detrimental effect on the national security of the United States of America.

3. "Why didn't you march against terrorism/Osama/Saddam?"
As soon as Queen Elizabeth II extends the offer of a State Visit to Osama or Saddam, I will definitely participate in the protests against them.

Seriously, protesting against terrorism/Osama/Saddam would be like protesting for oxygen; it's a bit obvious and pointless. Aside from some of the dodgier elements around, nobody is really going to come out and demonstrate on behalf of terrorism. If they did then I would waste no time organizing folks to show up and march flying the flag high. Note I said flying, not burning, but I will address that below.

4. "You're helping those who attack our troops in Iraq."
How? Do you think that some guy sitting on the fence in Syria is going to see us protesting against Bush (not America) and that will be the thing that pushes him to run off to join the fight against Iraq? Honestly?

5. "How dare you protest against your own country in a foreign land?"
First of all, a number of people have made this statement, and it indicates a knee-jerk patriotic response. Find me the place on my site where I say we were marching against America. You will be looking a long time. We were marching against Bush.

I live here. I've lived here for four years. Others in the group here make me look like I'm still fresh off the boat. For one reason or another, be it work opportunities, spousal commitments, or in my case that it's a pretty amazing place to be in your late twenties, a lot of us choose to make our homes here. It may or may not be permanent - I would say that a majority of us plan to return to America when the time comes. The desire to come home is a strong one in most people, and I'm no different. We all love our home country.

So to say that we should not protest when we see that bad things are being done to our country just because we are in another country is a totally meritless argument. It wasn't my idea to have Bush come to London, but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him come through without saying my piece. He's bad for our country, and I'll say it to whoever will listen, whether it's here or at home.

6. "Where were you on Thursday when people were burning flags?"
I made it clear from the beginning that I would not tolerate anti-American displays within the group either at meetings or during Thursday's protest. To my pleasure, on Thursday everybody in our group was marching as proud Americans.

The actual marching part of the protest was peaceful, and, aside from the Communist flags which seemed to be poking up with annoying frequency, I was pretty happy with the crowd makeup - peaceful, respectful and not anti-American.

However, once we got into Trafalgar Square it had gotten dark, and word had gotten round that there might be some "elements" coming from mainland Europe intent on causing trouble. That's all I can tell you firsthand, as I did what I could to keep EAB people well removed from the center of things - I for one found the "toppling Bush's statue" stunt slightly distasteful. I ended up leaving by 5:30 or so.

It was only the next day that I saw that some time after we left, when the crowd was dying down and the organizers were closing up shop, that there was a bit of trouble. It started with some bonfires made out of placards, and some scuffles with police, and then the American flag-burning that, as good TV, inevitably made it on to the evening news. I would not have reacted too well if I had seen someone burning a flag in front of me, trust me on that. But take my word that Expats Against Bush were not present by the time that kicked off, nor would we have been involved in any way.

Unfortunately, at the end of the day, you can't control who shows up to these things, and there were over 100,000 people there (or more, depending on which figures you believe). There were bound to be some rotten apples in the barrel.

Time: Love him or loathe him?

There's an interesting article in Time this week about how Bush has polarized Americans to an amazing extent - he's changed the equation from 40/40/20 Dems/Repubs/Undecided to 45/45/10 - meaning that there's an ever-shrinking pool of neutral or "swing" voters.

The article is also very illuminating regarding the tactics that Bush's folks have been using when he's been stumping on behalf of candidates in various elections this year - tactics that will be used again when things heat up next year.

The Democratic Party, and indeed all of us, will really have to to out-think and out-maneuver the Republicans in order to win this one. I hope that we can get all our ducks in a row in time, and avoid shooting ourselves in the foot through infighting and indecision.

I say "we" knowing full well that it's not just Democrats opposed to a Bush reelection. There are Republicans abroad who have written to me to tell me they abhor Bush, as well as Green Party members who've come on board. Everybody is welcome. But we have to be honest here.

The Republican candidate for President next year will be Bush.

Nader.... Well I hope that people are more sensible this year. Throwing away votes doesn't help anyone, and Nader is downright unelectable.

The only candidate capable of beating Bush next year will come from the Democratic Party. But we won't know who that candidate will be until the Democratic National Convention next year.

Thus, we will have a much shorter relative amount of time to unite behind the chosen candidate - and we need to be ready to put on a full-court-press when that candidate is chosen. We need to have people already signed up as Democrats or committed to voting Democratic when the day comes.

We need to start now. Later today I will post details on how you can sign up to join Democrats Abroad, and get yourself and your friends and family involved as the election year kicks off properly.

For the record again, Expats Against Bush is candidate-neutral until a candidate is chosen at the Convention. We will not be endorsing any one candidate at the expense of any other until the proper time.

Expats Against Bush London Meetup: Tuesday December 2nd

On Tuesday December 2nd at 7PM, Expats Against Bush will have an informal get-together at Browns Restaurant in Covent Garden. Over a pint or two, we will share our thoughts on how last week's protests went, and what we have learned from them. Also, we will be discussing our plans for the coming election year, and how we can best ensure that fellow expats get registered to vote when the time comes.

Please let me know if you can make it as I will be booking some tables this week.

Back from the trenches

Hi all,

Just a quick note that after a self-enforced 2-day sabbatical from all things Internet/political, I'm feeling refreshed and ready to dive back into the fray.

While I catch up with emails and your very interesting comments - and there are a LOT - here's some reading material.

First off, you might want to check out Colin Palmer's excellent account of his experiences during the marches last week. It's worthwhile to note the problems we had once the march actually started - in the chaos we had some issues A) staying together as a visible presence and B) not getting inundated with SWP and British Communist Party folks. Speaking for myself I was grimacing quite a bit as every other photo I took of one of our signs seemed to have one of those ubiquitous AK47-and-sickle flags in the background - who were those people and why were there so many of them?

There are heaps of mentions of our banner in the press, although not as many mentions of our group's name as I would have liked. Our banner-designer extraordinaire Nick even got pride of place in Ken Loach's march diary in The Independent on Sunday.

Bill of Rights Birthday, Dec. 15th

Sally Robinson (Luke's Sister) here.

This December 15th marks the 212th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Unfortunately, members of the American government, led by our fearless dealer, seems to have forgotten a few of these basic rights. Please see this New York Times article about the FBI's investigation of protesters and protesting organizations.

"But some civil rights advocates and legal scholars said the monitoring program could signal a return to the abuses of the 1960's and 1970's, when J. Edgar Hoover was the F.B.I. director and agents routinely spied on political protesters like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"The F.B.I. is dangerously targeting Americans who are engaged in nothing more than lawful protest and dissent," said Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union. "The line between terrorism and legitimate civil disobedience is blurred, and I have a serious concern about whether we're going back to the days of Hoover."

At the New York Civil Liberties Union, we just filed three lawsuits against the city calling for an injunction against agressive policing tactics used by the NYPD at the February 15th rally in 2002. Some of these tactics include ploughing demonstrators with horses, penning in demonstrators even when they were confined to a wheelchair and expressing medical distress, and in one instance, physically assaulting a demonstrator.

That the Civil Liberties Union and many other advocacy organizations must so vigilantly defend our right to address grievances is evidence of the adversarial attitude that some leaders in government hold towards protesters. Peaceful protesters should not be viewed as criminals. On the contrary, they are performing their duty as citizens in a democratic society.

Please pass on the story about the FBI to your friends, families and co-workers.

Stop Bush Protest - Photo Gallery

Hi guys,

Just thought you'd like to see some photos we managed to snap over the course of the last couple of weeks and at yesterday's protest. Some good ones in here, especially the great signage (thanks Nick and Graham!)

There are some more floating around Yahoo! which I will gather up this weekend when I have a spare couple of minutes.

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

First of all, let me extend my condolences to the families and friends of those who were killed or injured in yesterday's blasts in Istanbul. Totally senseless acts, and clearly timed to call attention to the British relationship to America during George Bush's visit.

We must continue to fight against terrorism. But fighting against terrorism must not only consist of the active pursuit of terrorist cells and the elimination of terror groups. The fight against terrorism must acknowledge the root causes of terrorism, and the genesis of these terrorists. They do not spring forth fully formed and sporting explosive vests. The anger that creates terrorism has a root cause, and if we inflame that anger then we must accept that it will, in turn, create more young men willing to become martyrs. That is not appeasement, that is an undeniable fact.

That basic equation has eluded our President, it seems. And yesterday, despite the somber mood that pervaded the protests in light of the attacks, you all showed the world that you want a change in our leadership. You showed your true patriotism by raising your voices and demanding democratic change.

Today you can rest easy knowing that for the moment you have done your country a service, and showed the world your true character. It's not easy standing up in these times, with everyone around you warning of retaliation, and the hate mail flowing in (and it has been immense the last few days). But you all came out and did it.

Thank you so much for making the world take notice.

So, some people have asked, will I fold the site now that the big day is over? What happens tomorrow?

I answer by saying: While Bush is still in power, this site and this organization will fight him.

Our mission is unchanged. We want to gather together Americans from all corners of the globe, and make sure that next year they vote Bush out, and tell their friends and family back home to do the same. That must be the driving force of this organization.

So, as of today, I am announcing that I intend to set up Expats Against Bush chapters in every country where there are American expats. I have already had contact from so many people around the world willing to help, that this is the obvious next step.

What I need now is volunteers. The UK chapter is obviously going strong already, and we'll continue to gather and plan our next steps. If you're reading this outside the UK, and you want to get involved and start a new country chapter, get in touch. You will come to the end of next year knowing you've done everything in your power to get out the vote against Bush, and that's something you can take with you for the rest of your life.

I have set up the Expats Against Bush website so that sub-sites can easily be added at will, and with the TypePad software at your disposal managing and updating your country site will be easy and uncomplicated. The hard part is organizing your fellow Americans to get involved - but believe me once you start the ball rolling, it will take on a life of its own... and you will end up with a fantastic group of people working for a common cause:

Coup de grace

A last thank you to those of you complimenting us on the interview on Newsweek.Com.

We've had no end of complimentary emails, and we're all in favor. Heads are swelling as we speak.

But on the other side, a special thank you must go out to those of you who have managed to cobble together such erudite, well-informed and obviously hard-thought critiques of the site, our plans, and indeed our supposed heritage (or lack thereof). It's emails like these that keep us going. If you can't laugh, you have nothing.

FINAL PLAN FOR TOMORROW'S PROTEST

I just sent this email out to all of you on the Yahoo! list. Please read this carefully if you're just seeing it now, there are some important changes.

Hi all,

This should be the last email you receive from me prior to the protest. You should print it out and bring it with you for reference if possible.

Please pay attention as the plan has been slightly altered (again) at the request of the Stop the War Coalition.

I still want you to come to the Northeast corner of Russell Square, but we need you there earlier than 1PM if possible. If there's any way you can be there by 12 noon that would be ideal. An Expats Against Bush steward should be there to give you further instructions.

The reason for this change is that Stop the War have now requested that some of us be available at the head of the procession from 12 noon onwards for press purposes. The more of us, the better. So, when you get to Russell Square, ask the EAB steward (identified by holding an EAB placard) where you should go - they will have the latest information.

The EAB Steward will only be there until 1:30 or so, at which point he/she will proceed to join the rest of the EAB folks at the head of the procession. The actual procession will set off at or around 2PM along the march route.

If you get to Russell Square later than 1:30PM, or generally have any questions or concerns, then call one of our stewards for the latest information:

Angelique 0796 625 3211
Sarah 0781 293 8767
Graham 0797 660 1193

If none of those work, you can call me (Luke) on 0771 512 0153 - though please try to keep my line free for emergencies etc.

If all else fails (the much-mooted total mobile network meltdown for instance) - go through to Malet St and find the head of the procession, which should be at the south end.

Now, a couple of points.

- In case of any trouble breaking out, get as far away from the trouble as possible. If it looks like the police are disbanding the protest, especially in Trafalgar Square or on Whitehall, then make your way to the southwest corner of Leicester Square and we'll regroup there. If in doubt, contact one of the stewards.

- If anything dodgy starts going down, such as anti-American displays (flag burning and the lot) try to distance yourself from it. We don't want to be photographed with any of that sort of thing!

- If the press approaches you, please direct them to me or, if you know who they are, one of our other press people. We've got the soundbites ready to go, and will do the best job communicating the reason behind the march.

I think that's about it.

(whew)

I will see you all tomorrow. Stay safe, and remember why we're doing this. We want to show the world that we disapprove of Bush, and the best way to do that will be in a calm, determined, serious and above
all PEACEFUL manner.

Here we go.

-Luke
0771 512 0153

BBC World Service + FT.Com

Hi all, going to be posting a bit this afternoon, but just quickly I was on the BBC World Service Newshour (MP3, 3mb) last night, facing off against Clifford May of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based right wing think tank. I'm glad I hadn't read this biography before I went on or else I might have worked myself into a lather. I was a bit surprised that he didn't go after me or EAB a bit more, but I think he was expecting to confront a stereotypical "raving loony" and instead got a normal-sounding guy.

Also, FT.com has just posted a short article mentioning us.

PS I would have linked to the RealAudio file but I think it's already been taken down.

Logistics for November 20th March

A couple of points on logistics for Thursday's march.

Stewards
I need 5 or 6 people to volunteer to be stewards, to help keep us organized in the time leading up to the march and sort out any small problems that occur as we go forward, to field questions from members of the group, and to help out any group members who get lost. If you're comfortable with publishing your mobile number internally to the group that would be perfect - as I need to keep my phone completely free for emergency calls from the Stop the War folks and others involved in the march, as well as for logistical arrangements with the press.

Press people
We've got a couple volunteers for this already, but I need to get a couple more people on-deck who are media trained and comfortable possibly taking some of the press heat off me should it prove necessary. I've no idea at the moment what level of press coverage we can expect, but I would err on the side of "a lot". Press are already reserving time slots with me for the day of the march.

Contingency Plans
I am working on a plan for a rally point outside of Trafalgar Square in the unlikely event that trouble occurs and we have to scatter. My current thinking is Leicester Square, but I'm open to suggestion. It needs to be easy to get to and big enough to hold a couple hundred people.

Tying up some loose ends

Hi there,

There's some errata I've been meaning to post over the last day or so and haven't gotten around to:

- GM.TV want to get someone from our group to do a video diary tomorrow:

I'm looking for one or two ex-pats (ordinary mums and dads who feel so aggrieved at Bush's visit) who could do a video diary for us this week. We want to get people making placards, perhaps travelling down to London from elsewhere in the country, and find out why they're so against Bush visiting, what they think of Tony Blair etc. We'd ideally like to show the video diary on Wed morning, or even Thursday although I know it's very short notice.

If you're interested, let me know.

- Manic over at Bloggerheads.com would like our group to participate in the "Chasing Bush" moblogging drive. I know some of you might not be able to make the protest, so if you see Dubya racing by in a motorcade, pop off an email to bush@interwebnet.org.

- Check out the ingenious Oust Bush site.

- Finally, in a bit of a weird segue, I have a pair of tickets to see The Coral at the Brixton Academy on Thursday night, but something tells me I'm not going to be A) in the mood or B) able to get there on time. So if you fancy seeing some fine rock and roll after a good days' demoing and want to buy these off me (£30 for the pair), let me know. I can give them to you at the protest.

New Placards online now

Thanks to Graham, a new set of issue-specific placards is now available as a single PDF (15K) - each placard has its own "page" within the document. Pick one or more that takes your fancy, and follow the instructions here to put your placard(s) together for Thursday, making sure to tell the printers which page you want done.

Protest tonight at Euston

The Stop the War Coalition have asked me if I can ask any of you if you're available tonight to join the public rally in Euston - they'd love to get some of the Americans on board early in the process. Plus there's a fair chance you'll be able to introduce yourself to Ron Kovic, one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

If you have placards already made, all the better!

Details here:
Tuesday 18th November, 7.30pm
Friends Meeting House, Euston Road, opposite Euston BR (nearest tube Euston / Euston Sq).
Speakers: Ron Kovic (Vietnam veteran), Harold Pinter (playwright), George Galloway MP (ex-Labour Party), Tony Benn, John Rees (Stop the War Coalition), Kate Hudson (CND), MAB speaker and Caroline Lucas MEP (Green Party).

I can't say for sure whether I'll be able to make it or not tonight due to possible interviews, but I'll do my best.

Good news and bad news

The good news....
The request to march past Westminster and Whitehall has been granted!

The route is now as follows:

• Malet St
• Russell Square - (Expats Against Bush meet here @ 1PM)
• Southampton Row
• Kingsway
• Aldwych
• Waterloo Bridge
• York Road
• Westminster Bridge
• Parliament Square
• Whitehall
• Trafalgar Square

The BBC have their own map which is slightly incorrect - we're going down Southampton Row, not Bloomsbury.

The bad news....
... is that the headline in today's Guardian is Protests begin but majority backs Bush visit as support for war surges - which is slightly misleading.

It's true, according to the poll more Brits favor the Bush visit than don't (43% for vs 36% against according to the poll) but at the end of the day only 2 out of 5 people are willing to stump up and say that they are definitely in favor of the visit - with 1 out of 5 of people undecided or preferring not to say. Hardly an overwhelming show of confidence. Especially when you add in the usual statistical margin of error, the difference between 43% and 36% is not tremendous.

There's a silver lining to this cloud, though.

The other questions in the poll find that we expats tend to be in step with the British public on a number of fronts. 6 out of 10 see America as a "force for good around the world", which should stick a pin in any arguments from the press in America that all of Europe is a bastion of anti-Americanism.

Nearly half see the Iraq war as justified - now I personally disagree with that statement, but there are a lot of people in Expats Against Bush who are not anti-war per se, and this only serves to underline the fact that we cannot make the war the only issue that we march about.

Nearly 7 out of 10 say we should stay in Iraq to clean up the mess we made, and I for one agree with that wholeheartedly.

Thoughts?

Assorted stories

Some stories that Courtney's come across recently, that you guys might be interested in:

US and UK officials dread presidential trip (Guardian)

Bush pulls out of Parliament speech (Mirror) - Followed by messages of support for the protesters, mostly from Americans

Puff piece by the Sun - Bush interview where protesters are dismissed as traffic nuisance

American media articles completely about the protests:
MSNBC
CBS
Washington Post

IMPORTANT: Change to meetup location for Thursday's protest

I have been talking with the Stop the War Coalition and they say it's going to be a nightmare on Malet St, and that it would be better for us to assemble somewhere first and then go over as a group to the head of the procession. Therefore, I am changing the meeting point. Hopefully this is not too last-minute for most people to find out, but I am sending a message out on the Yahoo! mailing list just to make sure.

The new meeting point is the Northeast corner of Russell Square at 1PM. By no later than 1:45PM we will move as a group over to the south end of Malet St to join the head of the procession. If you are late, come to the south end of Malet St. If you are later than 2:30 or so it might make more sense for you to head directly for Trafalgar Square as that's where we're heading anyway.

As always, I would encourage you to bookmark this page and sign up for the mailing list to keep up with events as they occur.

Monday report

Thanks to everyone who showed up for yesterday's meet-and-greet, and special thanks to those who subjected themselves to media scrutiny (extra special thanks to Sarah, it must have been hard for you).

We got a number of things accomplished:

• Solicited ideas for alternate issue-specific banners - we should have these as PDFs later on today or early tomorrow
  
• Agreed plan and route for Thursday protests - including great new idea of some of us carrying American flags (thanks Liz)
  
• Signed some folks up for Democrats Abroad (UK) - Thanks Stan
  
• Got lots of you folks talking to the press including CBS News, Algemeen Dagblad (2nd biggest daily newspaper in The Netherlands), LBC Radio, and a documentary crew filming for a doc about the Bush visit
  

In addition, I went to the screening of Born on the 4th of July at the Prince Charles Cinema, which the Stop the War Coalition had so kindly arranged. I got to meet Ron Kovic, who is extremely nice, and quite the speaker. There was a nice mention at the end of the film for Expats Against Bush by Ghada from the Stop the War Coalition, which I am very grateful for - because I picked up a couple of fresh recruits.

More news later. In the meantime, I have posted some pictures from the Thursday and Sunday events for your perusal.

Mention in The Independent

If you happen to read this before setting off to watch the rugby, you might want to pick up a copy of this morning's Independent. There's a couple of good articles about the upcoming protests, including this one about American involvement in the protests in which we are mentioned.

Standing Pat against the Radicals in the White House

Luke's sister Sally here. For reasons I'm sure he'll later regret, Luke's given me rights to post to this blog. As my header suggests, I have not yet expatriated. I hail from New York City, which although, geographically confined within United States boundaries, is considered by many (New Yorkers) to be the capital of the world.

Take that with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, we do sport a surprisingly diverse spectrum of ethnicities. This everyone knows. It is natural that this should be the collecting pool of many of the country's newest immigrants, who may find a larger population of their own kind here than in other states. Up until September 11th, New York, with its Statue of Liberty, welcoming the poor and huddled masses, represented Lady Liberty's lifted lamp. But then the WTC tragedy, and the Bush administration (with its Bush 1 cronies having already prepared to invade Iraq) began one of the most radical attacks on immigrants in America and the Constitution that this country has ever seen.

Right after 9/11, approximately 1,000 men of Arab and South Asian descent were hauled off to Guantanamo, Cuba. Only one of those thousand men was ever charged in connection with the terrorist attacks. Later, these detainments were denounced by the Office of the Inspector General (of the JUSTICE DEPARTMENT!). Many of those men are still being detained, without bail, and without being charged with a crime.

Never before, except during World War II, when Japanese Americans were rounded up and locked into detainment camps, has there been such a vicious, radical attack on civil liberties. For info on the current status of the detainess, I refer you to this New York Times article.

So, while many like to link Bush to his conservative Republican supporters, with the way he's been attacking the core principles upon which America was founded as documented in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (attacking due process, free speech, and our country's special system of checks and balances with his unprecendented executive power grab), I say he's a radical, and maybe even...a rogue!

Well, that's all for now. Good luck to all of you Americans in the UK supporting our country and the preservation of our country's democratic principles!

Our Friends in the North

It appears that Our George is heading up North on Friday (21 November). He will be visiting Tony Blair's constituency in Sedgefield, Co. Durham, and having lunch with local constituents. It seems very likely that there will be press there for the photo-op of George and Tony sharing a pint.

Might be a perfect opportunity for any expats (or anyone else) in the North East or Scotland who won't be able to make it to London for Thursday... [Though of course we'd like to keep things to peaceful protest -Luke]

Of course, details are thin on the ground, but Sedgefield isn't that big - a cavalcade of limousines and very conspicous secret service agents will be easy to find. (Look for barbour jackets and wellies, they try to "blend".)

Around lunchtime, then?

Anyone who is interested could make contact through posting here.

That's Not All, Folks

"I can understand people not liking war, if that's what they are there to protest," Bush told reporters in a Washington interview.

No, George, that is not all we are there to protest.

The invasion of Iraq simply heads a long list of complaints. How about Guantanamo Bay, Kyoto, the International Criminal Court, civil rights violations, the naming of CIA operatives (and Bush's disinterest in finding the leak), the obstruction of the 9/11 investigation, the 3.3 million job losses, tax cuts for billionaires, the handing of reconstruction contracts (competition-free) to Halliburton, etc, etc?

At the planning meeting last night, it was agreed that we should not make this solely an anti-war march - we need to let Bush know that there are many, many other things we are angry about.

Also, when this gets attention back home, non-Iraq issues will resonate with a wider audience.

Come to the meeting on Sunday with ideas of issues to put on placards. If you can't make the meeting, put up a post.

Let's make sure everyone knows this president is failing BOTH internally and internationally.

A tale of two visits

A number of articles are now focusing on the parallel series of events which be unfolding over the course of George Bush's visit.

First, the official version (thanks Bob!).

Secondly, the parallel protest agenda.

Sorry to keep this brief, but I'm under deadline.

Getting a bit Jon Snowed under

I never thought I'd say this, but the press are having a field day with our organization and this website. I'll link to it as we go along, and I'll start off with last night's live interview with Jon Snow on Channel 4 News (starts at about 29:30) - I think this link will only work until tonight's broadcast at 7PM GMT, so hurry if you want to see it online.

BBC London did a small feature on us, that will be shown between 6:30 and 7PM on Monday the 17th.

We're also mentioned in this week's New Statesman here in Britain, and there should be heaps more articles and broadcast features leading up to next week's protests. If I'm getting all this attention I can only imagine the chaos that the Stop the War people must be experiencing.

By the way, posting is going to be a bit irregular for the next few days; I'm devoting all my energy to making sure that people know about this march and our place in it.

"Anti-Bushism"

Quite a few of you have written to me pointing out this article on Yahoo! about the rise of "Anti-Bushism" in the UK:

[A]fter wars in Afghanistan and Iraq where British and Americans fought side by side, [American expats] face a wave not of anti-Americanism but anti-Bushism.

Speaking for myself, it never takes very long for someone to figure out that I'm not Bush's biggest fan, and, aside from the odd drunk or Little Englander, most of the non-Americans I run into are willing to be reasonable about things.

I'm interested to know, though, what are your experiences? Do you get collared just because you're American, and forced to apologize for your country?

Baltimore Sun

Haven't got much time to post as I'm running out the door, but here's EAB's first attributed quote, in this article in the Baltimore Sun. I wonder how this will be received Stateside, though I've already had a couple of good complimentary emails from it.

If the protesters look like the usual suspects...

A colleague pointed out a great Guardian column this morning pertaining to Bush's upcoming visit. One paragraph of note:

If rioters on heat, rather than a president on horseback, is the defining image of the visit, won't that be a failure? Not necessarily. So long as the protesters look like the usual suspects - multiply pierced, Genoa-style activists in torn clothes and mohican haircuts - then, I'm told, the White House will not worry. They will be able to say Bush enjoys the global support of all but a few anarchist weirdos. If the demonstrators look like the UK equivalent of America's "soccer moms", regular people of all ages, including plenty of women - tricky to bring out on a weekday - then Washington may have to rethink.

Exactly.

I want us to be Soccer Moms. I want some "normal" Americans out there to show the world that we're here, but more importantly to show people back home that these protests aren't just the "usual suspects". There will be regular everyday Americans (you guys!) leading this march, and you can't just write the protests off on that basis.

That's why, the more people you can get together for next Thursday, the more powerful a message we will send back home. It's your responsibity, and mine, to make sure that Bush does not draw strength from his visit here. I want a peaceful, respectful protest from everyday Americans to send a message.

So call your friends, get them to come down, print out some placards, and hold them high!

November 20th Anti-Bush march (Updated Wednesday November 19th)

NOON Thursday November 20th: Main Anti-Bush March to Trafalgar Square (Russell Square)
IMPORTANT UPDATE:

Please pay attention as the plan has been slightly altered (again) at the request of the Stop the War Coalition.

I still want you to come to the Northeast corner of Russell Square, but we need you there earlier than 1PM if possible. If there's any way you can be there by 12 noon that would be ideal. An Expats Against Bush steward should be there to give you further instructions.

The reason for this change is that Stop the War have now requested that some of us be available at the head of the procession from 12 noon onwards for press purposes. The more of us, the better. So, when you get to Russell Square, ask the EAB steward (identified by holding an EAB placard) where you should go - they will have the latest information.

The EAB Steward will only be there until 1:30 or so, at which point he/she will proceed to join the rest of the EAB folks at the head of the procession. The actual procession will set off at or around 2PM along the march route.

If you get to Russell Square later than 1:30PM, or generally have any questions or concerns, then call one of our stewards for the latest information:

Angelique 0796 625 3211
Sarah 0781 293 8767
Graham 0797 660 1193

If none of those work, you can call me (Luke) on 0771 512 0153 - though please try to keep my line free for emergencies etc.

If all else fails (the much-mooted total mobile network meltdown for instance) - go through to Malet St and find the head of the procession, which should be at the south end.

Now, a couple of points.

- In case of any trouble breaking out, get as far away from the trouble as possible. If it looks like the police are disbanding the protest, especially in Trafalgar Square or on Whitehall, then make your way to the southwest corner of Leicester Square and we'll regroup there. If in doubt, contact one of the stewards.

- If anything dodgy starts going down, such as anti-American displays (flag burning and the lot) try to distance yourself from it. We don't want to be photographed with any of that sort of thing!

- If the press approaches you, please direct them to me or, if you know who they are, one of our other press people. We've got the soundbites ready to go, and will do the best job communicating the reason behind the march.

The route is now as follows:

• Malet St
• Russell Square - (Expats Against Bush meet here @ 1PM)
• Southampton Row
• Kingsway
• Aldwych
• Waterloo Bridge
• York Road
• Westminster Bridge
• Parliament Square
• Whitehall
• Trafalgar Square

The BBC have their own map which is slightly incorrect - we're going down Southampton Row, not Bloomsbury.

Look for the main banners saying "Proud of my Country, Shamed of my President", and also the new issue-specific banners. If you can, it would help if you followed the directions below to bring a banner of your own and a spare one if you can swing it!

Also, if you have (or can acquire) an American flag, and would feel comfortable displaying and flying it, that would be great! The more we can reinforce the fact that we love our country whilst wanting to get rid of Bush, the better.

We will be at the head of the entire procession of between 70 to 100,000 people, so the more of you show up, the better it looks for all of us!

Sign up to the mailing list for updates to make sure you stay in the loop!

Any New Jersey expats here?

A nice reporter from The Star-Ledger of New Jersey would like to hear from any New Jersey expats who are planning on joining in the march next Thursday. She can be reached at this address.

Also some of you might have heard me speak about the group on Radio 5 Live with Matthew Bannister last night. I was a bit nervous at first due to the size of the audience, and the fact that my opposite in the debate was the chair of Republicans Abroad, but I was really enjoying myself by the time we said our goodbyes. I got in a plug for the group, and an OK soundbite: "I don't care how Bush talks, I care how he walks."

Fancy a date with the BBC?

Hi all,

BBC London are coming to film Expats Against Bush preparing for the November 20th march this Thursday night, and I need 7 or 8 of you to come over and spend about an hour being filmed for a report which will go out on Monday November 17th. If you're happy being filmed and possibly interviewed for TV, and can be in Shepherd's Bush between 8-10PM, let me know! First come, first served. If you contact me now you could be in amongst the lucky few! There will of course be a debriefing in the pub afterwards.

Pre-march activity - sign up for updates!

I hope that all of you will come along to the pre-march meeting on this Sunday the 16th upstairs at the All Bar One in Leicester Square, where we will get to know each other and discuss plans for the big day. I know, the All Bar One isn't my favorite place either, but it's central, easy to find and shouldn't be too rammed on a Sunday afternoon. It's also well-placed for the screening of Born on the Fourth of July which is being hosted by the UK Stop the War Coalition and will be MC'd by the man himself, Ron Kovic. That's at 5PM up the road at the Prince Charles Cinema right off Leicester Square.

If you think you can make it on Sunday, please drop me a line here so I can get an idea of numbers.

Also, some of you have expressed concern about the Yahoo! group and its posting policy, and uptake has been pretty slow. After some thought, I have now disabled member posting to the group, and I will be the only one able to send messages to the mailing list. You can rest assured you will not get spam through this group, nor will you get more than 1-2 emails a week from me (aside from possibly next week for obvious reasons). I will be using the Yahoo! group as a glorified mailing list to send out updates on our protest plans.

Contrary to appearances, you do not already have to have a Yahoo! account to join the group - all you need to do is send a blank email using your everyday email address to expatsagainstbush-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and you will be on the mailing list. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time. This link is now in the Protest section on the right hand side of the site as well.

I urge anyone who's planning to attend the meeting and the march to sign up for the group, to ensure that you have the latest information on our plans, which could change hour by hour if the press reports are anything to go by.

Tony to protesters: Put war arguments aside

Yesterday Tony Blair's annual foreign policy speech at the Guildhall ended up mostly addressing the mounting concern over Bush's impending visit and the ensuing political, security and economic impact it will have.

The Guardian quotes Mr Blair as saying:

"I say to those who will protest when President Bush comes: protest if you will. That is your democratic right.[...]But accept that the task now is not to argue about what has been, but to make what is happening now work, and work for the very Iraqis we all say we want to help."

I disagree. You can't protest the situation as it now stands without addressing how we got in this situation. And this situation was directly caused by George Bush and his administration being determined to go to war in Iraq, come hell or high water. We can't welcome Bush with open arms and give him a free pass. If we don't raise the issue of "what has been", who will?

It might prove interesting in time that Blair felt the need to reassure us that it is our democratic right to protest. There has been a lot of chatter about the US security services wanting to fence off large swathes of central London for Bush's visit, and implement the same "protest quarantine" they've used whenever Bush has gone out in America. It seems our Mayor Ken Livingston is on the opposite side, insisting to the Metropolitan police "The view was expressed that a legitimate protest must be facilitated." Blair has been caught in the middle, and interestingly it looks as though he is edging towards Ken's position. Could this be a sign of Blair's aggravation at the Bush team's demands? Time will tell...

Lies and the lying liars...

It's getting too easy these days to go and point out when Bush administration people are caught telling porkies; it's like shooting fish in a barrel.

First from today's Ocala Star-Banner (me neither) - this article which pulls no punches and goes straight for the jugular attacking Donald Rumsfeld on his flagrant attempts to deny he ever said A) we'd be welcomed as heroes in Iraq or B) that we'd find "extensive" weapons caches.

Next, what has to be my favorite headline of the week in the Independent: 'No President has lied so baldly and so often and so demonstrably'. That pretty much speaks for itself.

And in the final insult, the White House is getting so wary of those irksome questions about its plans that it has now decided de facto to not accept any questions from congressional Democrats. Well, that's one way to handle things. Stick your fingers in your ears and all your troubles will be gone.

Leaflet online for November 20th march

Just FYI, I came up with an A4 leaflet which lays out the case for marching against Bush and provides full details of how to get involved.

You UK readers, please download this, print out a few dozen and hand it out wherever Americans might be found - especially university Student Unions and Yank-friendly bars, or expat candidate-support meetups. Another group had the great idea of handing out material at the Michael Moore gigs that are happening around the country starting from today; I think that's a great idea. I can't make the London Palladium shows tonight or the Brixton Academy show on Friday due to prior commitments, but if you want to volunteer to flier either of these shows (or the other ones midweek in Glasgow on Tuesday and Liverpool/Manchester on Wednesday) I will make sure you get a mention on the site.

Sorry it's in MS Word; my Acrobat converter has gone south on me.

First press mention for Expats Against Bush

Expats Against Bush has gotten its first (albeit brief) press coverage in The Observer in relation of the protests against Bush's visit. More to come....

Hmmm. I've just had another look at the article. Everything's great... except the bit about the "huge march" taking place on the 19th of November. Uh, guys... it's the next day.

Update

I spoke slightly too soon. While EAB did rate a mention in the online article as linked above, the article in some print versions of the Observer is significantly shorter and we didn't make the cut - I think the late-breaking story about the Saudi bombing crowded out stories in the later editions that go out to London. However, the online version is certainly good enough for my needs, as it has a potential for reaching a much larger expat audience than the print version. A silver lining to the cloud is that the erroneous date has been left out of the print version.

NY Times on security plans for Bush's visit

News of the impending security / PR fiasco that awaits the Bush team in London in two weeks' time has bubbled up into the New York Times and the Associated Press. And I have a funny feeling there's going to be a lot more press coverage up to and including the protests on the 20th...

(Thanks to Tim @ Bloggerheads, firstly for driving some traffic here with some extremely complimentary linkage recently, and secondarily for calling my attention to this article)

It's the Econom(ist), stupid!

In a spot of criticism from an unlikely source, The Economist pulls no punches when it says that America's economy is a ticking time bomb:

Contrary to the Bush team's rhetoric, America does not have a small, temporary fiscal problem. It has a large and growing one. [...] The numbers are mindboggling. According to Jagadeesh Gokhale and Kent Smetters, in a study for the American Enterprise Institute, the gap between America's future tax revenues and future spending commitments for Social Security and Medicare is $44 trillion, or four times America's GDP. Put another way, government spending on entitlements is set to soar from around 7% of GDP today to 11% in 2020 and 15% in 2040

When even a normally dependable conservative news magazine starts calling foul on Bush's economic plans (or lack thereof), it sets alarm bells ringing. I don't want the economy to get any worse, as it hurts real people; the only good aspect of a struggling economy would be that it calls attention to the man at the helm. Say it again to yourself slowly. Tax Cuts. During a War. Say it enough and it starts to make sense.

Please see the comments thread at Metafilter for more discussion, including links to three more, supposedly conservative, attacks on Bush's stewardship.

Picking up steam

We're starting to get some real press interest in the site and the group now; it's fascinating to watch how the word is spreading. Of course, the more people that know about us the better, and I reckon after the protest against Bush's state visit on the 20th of this month, a lot more people are going to know about all of you Expats Against Bush.

By the way, as promised, I've started up a Yahoo! Group so that you can sign up and receive email updates from myself and others who are getting involved all over the world. All messages are moderated by me so they will be kept on-topic, and you can choose to receive emails as they come, daily, monthly or whatever period you like. There aren't going to be many messages at all for the first few weeks until this site finds its feet properly.

You can subscribe using the link above.

November 20th Update

Hi all,

Just to let you know that I spoke with the Stop the War Coalition yesterday, and it was a very encouraging conversation. I can't go into much detail until things are hammered out, but let me assure you that those of you who are coming to London to participate in the protest will have a very prominent position in the demonstrations. The Stop the War folks are eager to show that they have no quarrel with the American people, and having Americans prominently featured in the demonstration will go a long way to help in that regard.

Just for your records, we will be meeting on Malet St, just north of the British Museum, at 2PM on Thursday November 20th, and marching down to Trafalgar Square. Further details of specific meeting points on the day will be provided soon.

Also, there will be a pre-protest meeting on Sunday the 16th of November at 2PM in the West End (venue to be confirmed) ahead of the Stop the War screening of "Born on the 4th of July" with special guest Ron Kovic, who is flying to London to participate in the protests.

I will also be starting up a Yahoo! Group mailing list today, and will post details of that later.

Bill of Rights Defense Campaign

Something you should all be aware of is the ongoing Bill of Rights Defense Campaign, which aims to restore civil liberties that have been curtailed by the Bush administration since 9/11. Get in touch with your friends and folks back home, and ask them if they've got a local chapter.

I have a personal/nepotistic interest in this; my sister Sally is an active member of the New York branch of the BORDC and an employee of the New York Civil Liberties Union there, both activities I can certainly stand behind.

The terrible story of Maher Arar

Somewhat off-topic, but I've just finished reading this terrible account of Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian who endured almost a year of torture at the hands of the Syrian military intelligence because he happened to pass through New York on his way back to Canada from holiday in Tunisia. My gut instinct is to believe him, simply because this account in his own words is too terrible to fabricate. I've been following this story for a while now, and I find it extremely distressing. The contempt with which we're (Americans) now treating anyone who's even vaguely Muslim-looking is going to come back to to haunt us. That is certain.

I hate to say it, but it seems that bin Laden has won in a way. I can't help but think that he waited to stage his attacks until he knew he could ignite the long-mooted clash of civilizations. Would he have staged the attacks if Gore had actually made it into the White House? Of course I'm not blaming 9/11 on the Bush administration; I find that argument has little merit. But I keep coming back to the idea that bin Laden knew that this administration in particular, led by a born-again Christian cowboy/simpleton who insists on seeding faith-based initiatives throughout his government at every level, would react in the most militant way to a Muslim-led jihad attack on America. And boy, we haven't disappointed. America is now being led on a crusade in all but name.