[Oct. 17 Seattle] Rough draft PSA

[chr2eemail at comcast.net]

Anton,
My two-cents: Yes, from what I remember about radio announcements, I think that this is too long. Moreover, it goes far beyond the actual basis of unity of the Seattle October 17 Anti-War Mobilization. (Remember, the ETS! article was published in my name, and gave my analyses and stands, not those of the working group.) So a way to deal with this, I think, would be to just focus on some bare essentials. 
Below is one possible way that this might be done, but I emphasize that it’s rough, off the top of my head, and may also be too long.
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On October 7 the war in Afghanistan entered its ninth year. (This assumes that the announcement is for the last week of our campaign.) But with tens of thousands of innocent Afghans and over 1400 U.S./NATO soldiers already dead, the Obama Administration and generals are debating sending still more troops (McCrystal) vs. more expansion of the war into Pakistan (Biden). And to sell the war to the public, Obama is using the same scare tactics as Bush: “This is a war of necessity”…it’s “fundamental to the defense of our people." 
The Seattle October 17 Anti-War Mobilization says enough of this! It calls for standing with the millions of Afghan people who oppose the U.S./NATO occupiers, the criminal warlord government that has been imposed upon them, and the bestial Taliban. But the past eight years have shown to millions that both the Republicans and Democrats are war parties, and that the anti-war movement must be built independent of and against both of them. Let us use the Saturday, October 17 demonstration as part of building up precisely such an independent movement. Our uniting slogan is…
U.S. out of Afghanistan now!
March details
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In thinking about this more, I think the aim in radio announcements is pretty much limited to informing listeners that something is happening. There’s just not time for much else. So even these two paragraphs would probably need paring down, and there may be better suggestions anyway. 

Fortunately, you got this out early enough for all to consider, and since I’m going to be off-line for much of the weekend, it’s likely I’ll see a final result when I come back.
Cheers,
Frank

----- Original Message -----

From: Anton Black 

To: antiwar at lists.hcoop.net

Sent: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 23:04:20 +0000 (UTC)

Subject: [Oct. 17 Seattle] Rough draft PSA




Please check out and help make it better--
I borrowed/stole language from Frank's letter to ETS! combined with our short leaflet , tweaked, added Pakistan.  I think it will need to be shorter and clearer.

--Anton







    

    

    

    










U.S. imperialism, get the Hell out of Afghanistan

and Pakistan!









On October 7 begins the ninth year of U.S.-sponsored

war and ruin for the Afghan

people. The Obama/NATO escalation has

only escalated this great crime, while generals

and government

officials talk of sending still more troops, and of being in

Afghanistan

for many years, if not decades.






After already being devastated by more than 30

years of almost continual wars, the Afghan people are today

constantly threatened by death from the U.S.-NATO controlled skies,

death from the warlord-dominated government, and death from the

ultra-fundamentalist Taliban. But they’re not just passive victims.

In fact, the Revolutionary Organization of Women of Afghanistan’s

slogan “Neither the occupiers nor the bestial Taliban and the

criminal Northern Alliance; long live a free and democratic

Afghanistan!” represents a broad sentiment that periodically erupts

into protests and clashes with the U.S.-NATO troops and Kabul

authorities


Step up struggle to build the anti-

war movement!

  






The justifiably angry Afghan and Pakistani people

want and deserve our help in getting U.S.-NATO monster off their

backs. But to have a movement that can drive the U.S. out of

Afghanistan requires building up the political trend in society that

grasps that the bloody injustices in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,

Palestine, and elsewhere are the inevitable product of the capitalist

system, and that to end them this system must be overthrown. A large

step in this direction is taken when large numbers of people in the

anti-war movement realize that they must organize on their own, and

fight against both parties in Washington. 

We

say no to U.S. occupation! With tens of thousands of innocent Afghans

already dead, no more U.S. war! With




nearly 1300 U.S.-NATO soldiers already dead, U.S.

get the hell out! 




Demonstrate Saturday, October 17




Meet: 1:00 p.m. at Seattle Central Community College

(Broadway & Pine).




March through south Capitol Hill, the International

District, and up 1st Ave. End at Westlake Center (4th & Pine).




http://october17antiwarseattle.blogspot.com





protest U.S. war on Afghanistan October 17!

Seattle info:



http://october17antiwarseattle.blogspot.com/



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