The Activists

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Activists and activism have long been a part of the struggle for peace and justice in American politics and society. Activists have fought battles for civil rights, voter enfranchisement, collective bargaining, and an end to wars. While these struggles have sometimes yielded significant victories, and at other times resulted in disappointing defeats, activism has always been driven by ordinary people who give freely of their time and resources to try to bring about their visions for a new world. However, activists — as well as how they fit into the political process — are often overlooked or misunderstood by their fellow citizens.

THE ACTIVISTS: War, Peace, and Politics in the Streets brings to life the stories of ordinary people who tried to stop and end the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. At best, activists had limited influence over the conduct of military policy after 9/11. Yet, their experiences in the antiwar movement helped them to learn about speaking out in the face of injustice. They inspired others to do the same during the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street movements. Indeed, democracy requires more than just one vote every four years. It requires continued pressure by citizens on their government. This is what democracy looks like!

Featuring leading activists and scholars including Tom Hayden, Leslie Cagan, Medea Benjamin, and Michael Heaney.

'The Activists is essential viewing for all those who want to better understand the most powerful forces that are changing our world today: engaged citizens who join together in mass movements...This is what democracy looks like. The Activists are the hope.' David Goodman, Co-author, Democracy Now! Twenty Years Covering the Movements Changing America

'This stirring film follows the hardy bands of activists--including Iraq veterans--who kept hope alive as the war dragged on. They nurtured the spirit that would sustain, after them, the Occupy movement, Black Lives Matter, and resistance to Donald Trump. This is what democracy looks like!' Howard Brick, Director, Eisenberg Institute for Historical Studies, University of Michigan, Author, Transcending Capitalism: Visions of a New Society in Modern American Thought

'A wonderful and revealing depiction of antiwar protest politics. It offers a realistic portrait of the challenges and potential of organizing street protest designed to mobilize public opinion. There's a lot to learn from this film.' Jeffrey Berry, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University, Author, The Outrage Industry: Political Opinion Media and the New Incivility

'This film highlights the fascinating diversity, challenges, and struggles in the anti-war movement. Bringing together powerful images of protest events, commentary, and classic peace movement speeches, it will be an ideal addition to classes on social movements, political sociology, and American politics.' Catherine Corrigall-Brown, Associate Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia

'This is a timely and insightful film, helping a new generation of social movement activists learn from the work of their immediate predecessors.' David Karpf, Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University

'This film is a valuable record of activism's recent past, highlighting many of its strengths and weaknesses, and posing and even moving us toward answering the question of what comes next.' David Swanson, Director, World Beyond War, Campaign Coordinator, Roots Action, Author, War is a Lie

'This film is both historically and academically rigorous, connecting ideas from early movements in the 20th century right up to the uprisings in the Middle East in 2011...It will be an excellent catalyst for discussion in classrooms and communities around issues of activism, organizing and war. Highly recommended.' Amir Amirani, Director of We Are Many

'The Activists explores the risks, processes, and joys of activism. Heaney brings his years of social movement scholarship to life in this impressive documentary. The film covers the wide spectrum of activists involved in the many peace movement organizations during the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.' Lisa Leitz, Assistant Professor of Peace Studies and Sociology, Chapman University, Author, Fighting for Peace

'The Activists takes us through two wars, two presidencies, and campaigns and coalitions across the United States. The documentary takes the perspective of those brave people who have struggled to mobilize effective political action.' David Meyer, Professor of Sociology, Political Science, and Planning, Policy, and Design, University of California-Irvine, Author, The Politics of Protest: Social Movements in America

'A valuable resource that documents why activists plan, march, disrupt and provoke. It allows several leaders of groups involved in the US anti-war movement of the 2000s to explain, in their own words, why they do what they do...An interview with Michael Heaney provides scholarly context.' Dr. Will Moore, Professor of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University

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Main credits

Shemtov, Melody (film director)
Shemtov, Melody (film producer)
Shemtov, Melody (screenwriter)
Shemtov, Melody (editor of moving image work)
Heaney, Michael T. (film producer)
Heaney, Michael T. (screenwriter)
Heaney, Michael T. (interviewee (expression))
Roldán, Marco (film producer)
Roldán, Marco (editor of moving image work)
Barnes, Aaron (composer)
Hayden, Tom (interviewee (expression))
Cagan, Leslie (interviewee (expression))
Benjamin, Medea (interviewee (expression))
Zephyn, Zeus (narrator)
Constantine, Rob (narrator)

Other credits

Editors, Marco Roldán, Melody Shemtov; original score, Aaron Barnes.

MARC Record See Worldcat record

Keywords

activists, Iraq War, Afghanistan War, tactics, historical context, peace and justice, civil rights, voter enfranchisement, collective bargaining, end to war, military policy, 9/11, veterans, Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, pressure by citizens, this is what democracy looks like, Vietnam War, Code Pink, the military, the Marines, Tom Hayden, Leslie Cagan, Medea Benjamin, Michael Heaney, Ann Wright, Gael Murphy, Brian Becker, Judith LeBlanc, Jane Fonda, Marilyn Katz, Granny Peace Brigade, Matthis Chiroux, Adam Kokesh, Geoff Millard, Carl Davidson, Barack Obama, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Thom Hartmann, Republic National Convention 2008, IVAW, Rage Against the Machine, Million Doors for Peace, Desiree Fairooz, Jay Marx, Cindy Sheehan, United for Peace and Justice; "The Activists"; Bullfrog Films,doc; history; politics; sociss

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- If there is no struggle,
there is no progress.

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Those who profess to favor
freedom and yet deprecate

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agitation are men who want crops
without plowing up the ground.

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They want rain without
thunder and lightning.

00:00:16.960 --> 00:00:21.580
They want the ocean without the
awful roar of its many waters.

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This struggle may be a moral
one or it may be a physical one,

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or it may be both
moral and physical --

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but it must be a struggle.

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Power concedes nothing
without a demand.

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It never did, and it never will.

00:00:36.658 --> 00:00:54.730
(MUSIC PLAYING -
EDWIN STARR - "WAR")

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(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

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- Let us march!

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Let us march!

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Let us march!

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- Hey, everybody, can I
have your attention, please?

00:01:31.430 --> 00:01:34.300
My name is Geoff Millard with
Iraq Veterans Against the War.

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I'm the police liaison for
Iraq Veterans Against the War.

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We've been working very closely
with the police here in Denver.

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They are going to let
us march the entire way.

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We're going to be escorted.

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Thanks for supporting IVAW.

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(PROTESTERS CHEERING)

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- They say more war, we say NO!

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Republicans.

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NO!

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- Democrats.

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- NO!

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- They say more war, we say NO!

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Democrats.

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- NO!

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- Republicans.

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- NO!

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- They say more war, we say NO!

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One, two, three, four, we
don't want your racist war!

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Five, six, seven, eight...

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-Stop the killing,
stop the hate!

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-One, two, three, four...

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-We don't want your racist war!

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-One, two, three, four...

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-We don't want your racist war!

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- Activists have long
played an important role

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in American politics
and society.

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- This war is a fraud of
American military might!

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- But who are these
activists, and what is it that

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motivates them?

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The political climate of the
1960s gave rise to an era

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of activism from the Civil
Rights Movement's March

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on Washington, to the founding
of the National Organization

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for Women, to the Anti-War
Movements March on the Pentagon

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an entire generation embrace
new approaches to activism.

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- (NEWSCAST) Anti-war
demonstrators protest U.S.

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involvement in the Vietnam
War in mass marches, rallies,

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and demonstrations.

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Central Park is
the starting point

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for the parade to
the U.N. Building.

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The estimated 125,000
Manhattan marchers

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include students, housewives,
beatnik poets, doctors,

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businessmen, teachers,
priests, and nuns.

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- North Vietnam cannot defeat
or humiliate the United States.

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Only Americans can do that.

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- And so we will continue --

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along with struggling to end the
war, which is still not over,

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along with struggling to have
the prisoners in South Vietnam

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released -- we will also
continue until this war has

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been defined and we
have learned its lesson.

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- Opposition to
the war in Vietnam

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was a particularly
powerful force

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in attracting the youth
of America into activism.

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They're coming of
age was coupled

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with coming into activism.

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Protest became a critical
chapter in their biographies.

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- The story of my life
is trying to do something

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about my country, my
community, and finding out

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that there's another war.

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I can't quite tell you
why I get so upset by it,

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except I think... you know,
when you're in a fight,

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when you're in a war,
and the blood is flowing,

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there's an urgency that --

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like it or not --

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is not the same as chronic
problems like poverty.

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- I think that having kind of
come of age as a young adult

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in the context of the
anti-war movement --

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that so infused my
own sensibilities.

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It so shaped my
commitments, my outlook

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on the world and my
interests and what

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I wanted to do with my
life, that in that way

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the work I did today is
very much tied to what

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I did some 40 years ago.

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- In the anti-war
movement of the 1960s,

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it was a much slower
movement to grow.

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It was far more isolated
from ordinary people

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for a very, very long time.

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It could not be more
different than it is now.

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- Like myself, millions...
tens of millions of other young

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people or family members who
had young males in their family

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were each year asking
the question --

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what will happen when
my son, or my brother,

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or myself turn 18 or
19, when we're drafted?

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Will we go into the Vietnam War?

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It became a very
personal matter,

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not just for the
individuals, but for families

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all over the country.

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It was a period of
profound radicalization.

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It was not a matter of people
simply coming out periodically

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to protest a policy or
a war that they hated,

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but it became the driving
force in U.S. society.

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-Since the Vietnam era,
activism has never been dormant.

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Activists engaged in a
wide variety of causes

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in the 1970s, the
1980s, and the 1990s.

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Yet the movements of these years
never reached the intensity

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of the 1960s --

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until 2001.

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- They attacked us here in New
York, my state where I'm from.

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I was pissed.

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I was livid.

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I should be killing
someone by now.

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We should be at war,
and I should be there.

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- We came to understand was
that in the aftermath of 9/11,

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in the months that
followed -- especially,

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certainly here in New York,
but maybe in other parts

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of the country, too --

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there was this resounding
question on everyone's mind

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is, why did this happen?

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Why do some people
hate us so much?

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- Many of us who were living
in New York City at the time,

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right in the proximity of
the World Trade Center,

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gathered in the
days and the hours

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really right after the attacks
trying to understand what

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had happened, figure
out what to do,

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and noticing, of course, that
the Bush Administration was

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already building
the program for war.

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- The Bush Administration's
immediate military response

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to 9/11 was to
invade Afghanistan,

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where many of those involved in
the 9/11 plot had been trained.

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After the invasion
of Afghanistan,

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the anti-war movement
picked up steam

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as another war was
looming on the horizon.

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- The United States
and our allies

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are authorized to use
force in ridding Iraq

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of weapons of mass destruction.

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This is not a
question of authority.

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It is a question of will.

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- There was no way that any
reporter in the United States

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could check out the
reports that were coming in

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from a lot of sources
about Saddam Hussein

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seeking or having weapons
of mass destruction.

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- Iraq has now placed itself
in danger of the serious

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consequences called for
in U.N. Resolution 1441.

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- We discounted too easily the
reports from the inspectors

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when they got back in there,
and who found no evidence

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that there were such weapons.

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And those were not
given the weight

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that, in retrospect, they
should have been given.

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The pre-war coverage of Iraq
was not a distinguished moment

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for the press.

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I'd think most of the reporters
who were directly involved in

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that would say that.

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They were working under
one big handicap -- namely,

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the lack of direct
access to that country.

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- And we said right
from the beginning,

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we said, we're going to
focus on Iraq, because it

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looks like the Bush
Administration is committed

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to going to war.

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We have to try and stop
that war before it starts.

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- Any war, before
you have exhausted

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all possible peaceful
means, is immoral!

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And those who want to
wage war against Iraq

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must know it would
be an immoral war.

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- Now by February
15th of 2003, we

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were able to put 500,000 people
on the streets of New York.

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And we also generated
enough interest

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that there were over
400 demonstrations

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around the United States.

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And our count was over
900 all around the world.

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- That February 15th march,
that wasn't just in the U.S.,

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that wasn't just in New York,
that was across the country

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and across the planet.

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Millions of people
across the world, right?

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Barcelona, Madrid,
Paris, London.

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I mean, Asia, Africa.

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I mean, the world knew
what was going on.

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What is it that you have
to do to get the government

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to listen to you?

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- Yet in spite of the anti-war
fervor, on March 19th,

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2003 the United
States invaded Iraq.

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- At this hour, American
and Coalition Forces

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are in the early stages
of military operations

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to disarm Iraq, to
free its people,

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and to defend the world
from grave danger.

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- The Bush Administration's
militaristic response

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to the crisis brought
people out into the streets

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in a way that had not
been seen in 30 years.

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A new era of activism had begun.

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- My name is Ann Wright, and
I was a colonel in the U.S.

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Army --

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29 years in the Army, and
16 years as a U.S. diplomat

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serving in places like
Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia,

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Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Sierra Leone.

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I spent virtually my whole life
in service to this country.

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I ended up ending my diplomatic
career in resignation,

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in March of 2003, in
opposition to the war in Iraq,

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and was one of three U.S.
government employees that

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resigned over the Iraq War.

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And it was a big decision ending
your time with the government

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where you've been first
in the military for many,

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many years -- decades really --

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and then in the
diplomatic corps,

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and having served through
eight different presidential

00:12:48.690 --> 00:12:49.800
administrations.

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It was with the war
in Iraq, though,

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that the invasion and occupation
of an oil-rich Arab Muslim

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country that had not
attacked the United States --

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and without the U.N. Security
Council authorization --

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that the Bush administration
tried to get but was unable to.

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And with that, I
said I'm not going

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to be a part of this
invasion and occupation.

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The cost to our families, the
cost that you see of those

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tombstones that are down on
the Mall right now that reflect

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the numbers -- the thousands
of Americans killed,

00:13:24.620 --> 00:13:28.400
the tens of thousands, hundreds
of thousands of Afghans

00:13:28.400 --> 00:13:30.020
and Iraqis.

00:13:30.020 --> 00:13:31.400
It's up to us to stop this.

00:13:31.400 --> 00:13:33.500
You all are the
committed, the courageous,

00:13:33.500 --> 00:13:35.030
the conscientious
people that are

00:13:35.030 --> 00:13:38.750
holding the foundation of what
we want our country to be like.

00:13:38.750 --> 00:13:40.760
We don't want wars
and endless wars.

00:13:40.760 --> 00:13:41.930
We want peace.

00:13:41.930 --> 00:13:42.980
It's up to us.

00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:45.590
You are the ones that
can make that difference.

00:13:45.590 --> 00:13:46.390
Thank you.

00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:58.910
- Why is it that so many
people are belonging

00:13:58.910 --> 00:14:00.260
to communities of meaning?

00:14:00.260 --> 00:14:05.090
It's because that's where they
get their personal development.

00:14:05.090 --> 00:14:06.800
That's where they
learn how to organize.

00:14:06.800 --> 00:14:09.980
That's where they learn about
politics, about ideas, that's

00:14:09.980 --> 00:14:11.240
where they meet their friends.

00:14:11.240 --> 00:14:12.710
They're like little tribes.

00:14:12.710 --> 00:14:14.900
I can't imagine a
successful movement

00:14:14.900 --> 00:14:19.230
without lots of little
tribes as its base.

00:14:19.230 --> 00:14:22.070
- So often, what happens in the
process of mobilizing people

00:14:22.070 --> 00:14:26.060
for action is that they mobilize
against the war in conjunction

00:14:26.060 --> 00:14:27.950
with the other
identities that they have

00:14:27.950 --> 00:14:29.580
in the rest of their lives.

00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:31.550
So if they're really
involved in their church,

00:14:31.550 --> 00:14:34.351
they might join a group called
Episcopalians for Peace.

00:14:34.351 --> 00:14:36.350
If they're really involved
in their labor union,

00:14:36.350 --> 00:14:38.750
they might join U.S.
Labor Against the War.

00:14:38.750 --> 00:14:41.720
So the way that people are
often mobilized for peace

00:14:41.720 --> 00:14:44.810
is by joining with other
groups of people that are not

00:14:44.810 --> 00:14:46.730
necessarily related to peace.

00:14:46.730 --> 00:14:48.470
But those groups,
those subgroups,

00:14:48.470 --> 00:14:50.812
get mobilized on the war issue.

00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:00.950
- The Granny Peace
Brigade Philadelphia

00:15:00.950 --> 00:15:05.030
is comprised of grannies
and supporters who

00:15:05.030 --> 00:15:12.920
on June 26 of 2006 went into
the military recruitment office

00:15:12.920 --> 00:15:18.810
to enlist, saying take us to
Iraq, not our grandchildren.

00:15:18.810 --> 00:15:21.220
We do not wish
them to kill others

00:15:21.220 --> 00:15:23.120
or to be killed themselves.

00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:27.590
I have and will speak up
as someone who is Jewish,

00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:30.090
and a Quaker, and a granny.

00:15:30.090 --> 00:15:34.100
Someone who has a
degree of experience

00:15:34.100 --> 00:15:37.740
and is willing to use that
experience, and my own time,

00:15:37.740 --> 00:15:41.870
saying it's time to
get off our fannies.

00:15:41.870 --> 00:15:45.070
And for you younger
people to understand

00:15:45.070 --> 00:15:49.500
that we need to walk, and march,
and demonstrate in Washington,

00:15:49.500 --> 00:15:53.240
DC, in Philadelphia, and
everywhere else with us.

00:16:39.056 --> 00:16:40.052
- Peace.

00:16:40.052 --> 00:16:45.530
- I think it's one of the best
ways to encourage the anti-war

00:16:45.530 --> 00:16:47.600
movement and activism
and stuff like that,

00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:49.016
because who doesn't
want to dance?

00:16:49.016 --> 00:16:50.057
Like, it's a dance party.

00:16:50.057 --> 00:16:52.502
It's a great way to get
out there and have fun.

00:17:01.466 --> 00:17:03.956
- And I think something
good to remember

00:17:03.956 --> 00:17:05.948
is that every person counts.

00:17:05.948 --> 00:17:08.298
And so even if you
think, "Oh, I don't

00:17:08.298 --> 00:17:10.778
have a lot of friends," if
you come it really matters,

00:17:10.778 --> 00:17:12.762
and people really appreciate it.

00:17:20.710 --> 00:17:23.319
- We know people who
are going over to Iraq.

00:17:23.319 --> 00:17:25.089
And if they're
coming home at all,

00:17:25.089 --> 00:17:28.000
they're coming home
totally messed up

00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:33.340
with post-traumatic stress
disorder and physical problems,

00:17:33.340 --> 00:17:37.090
and the entire range
of terrible issues

00:17:37.090 --> 00:17:39.040
that the military causes people.

00:17:39.040 --> 00:17:42.820
- It's always been true
that the younger generations

00:17:42.820 --> 00:17:47.770
are more militant in
their response to any war.

00:17:47.770 --> 00:17:52.430
Their lives are most
likely on the line.

00:17:52.430 --> 00:17:55.810
They're the most likely to go
to serve and fight, and die

00:17:55.810 --> 00:17:58.337
and kill in wars.

00:17:58.337 --> 00:17:59.170
And they're younger.

00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:01.030
They have less at
stake, they have

00:18:01.030 --> 00:18:07.270
less in terms of being
arrested or confronting power.

00:18:07.270 --> 00:18:08.860
And I think also
that there's always

00:18:08.860 --> 00:18:12.580
just a youthful
enthusiasm for activism.

00:18:12.580 --> 00:18:14.084
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:18:14.084 --> 00:18:15.625
-Off the sidewalks,
into the streets!

00:18:15.625 --> 00:18:18.415
Off the sidewalks,
into the streets!

00:18:21.824 --> 00:18:25.720
- We're here delivering
coffins to the White House.

00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:27.546
These are symbols.

00:18:27.546 --> 00:18:31.714
But the symbols represent
real human beings,

00:18:31.714 --> 00:18:37.750
people whose lives have been
lost in a war of aggression.

00:18:37.750 --> 00:18:40.670
- In order for activists
to be really effective,

00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:43.210
they need to use a wide
variety of methods.

00:18:43.210 --> 00:18:46.810
Just turning out for a protest,
or just writing letters

00:18:46.810 --> 00:18:49.780
to Congress, is not likely
to get as much attention

00:18:49.780 --> 00:18:52.900
as a social movement
which is broadly engaged

00:18:52.900 --> 00:18:54.570
in a wide variety of tactics.

00:18:54.570 --> 00:18:56.278
(PROTESTERS CHANTING
A CALL AND RESPONSE)

00:18:56.278 --> 00:18:57.070
- ...we are proud!

00:18:57.070 --> 00:18:57.695
We are sisters.

00:18:57.695 --> 00:18:58.570
We are loud!

00:18:58.570 --> 00:18:59.543
We are sisters!

00:18:59.543 --> 00:19:00.489
We are loud!

00:19:00.489 --> 00:19:01.908
We are many!

00:19:01.908 --> 00:19:05.330
We'll be more!

00:19:05.330 --> 00:19:07.830
And we'll end this horrible war!

00:19:07.830 --> 00:19:09.330
And we'll end this horrible war!

00:19:09.330 --> 00:19:11.330
We are Code Pink!

00:19:11.330 --> 00:19:13.330
We are proud!

00:19:13.330 --> 00:19:14.330
We are Code Pink!

00:19:14.330 --> 00:19:15.330
We are proud!

00:19:15.330 --> 00:19:16.330
We are sisters!

00:19:16.330 --> 00:19:17.830
We are loud!

00:19:17.830 --> 00:19:18.830
We are sisters!

00:19:18.830 --> 00:19:20.330
We are loud!

00:19:20.330 --> 00:19:21.330
We are many!

00:19:21.330 --> 00:19:22.330
We'll be more!

00:19:22.330 --> 00:19:23.330
We are many!

00:19:23.330 --> 00:19:24.830
We'll be more!

00:19:24.830 --> 00:19:26.830
And we'll end this horrible war!

00:19:26.830 --> 00:19:30.830
And we'll end this horrible war!

00:19:30.830 --> 00:19:34.186
- The idea of Code Pink
came about when women became

00:19:34.186 --> 00:19:36.310
concerned about what was
happening in this country,

00:19:36.310 --> 00:19:40.850
and the Bush Administration's
being hell-bent on attacking

00:19:40.850 --> 00:19:41.490
Iraq.

00:19:41.490 --> 00:19:44.870
And it was, to us, important
that women speak out

00:19:44.870 --> 00:19:47.750
against this.

00:19:47.750 --> 00:19:54.890
So the idea was to inspire women
to step up, step out, and be

00:19:54.890 --> 00:19:56.640
visible and vocal.

00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:21.860
(PROTESTERS SINGING)

00:20:21.860 --> 00:20:26.570
- Well, I think Code Pink is so
unique in that it's creative.

00:20:26.570 --> 00:20:32.660
We integrate theater,
and song, and even dance,

00:20:32.660 --> 00:20:34.270
while we're protesting.

00:20:34.270 --> 00:20:36.650
I mean, we have
never been violent.

00:20:36.650 --> 00:20:39.080
Yes we've been
confrontational, but that's

00:20:39.080 --> 00:20:43.580
what we've had to do to keep
the message in the press.

00:20:43.580 --> 00:20:45.890
If that means
disrupting a hearing

00:20:45.890 --> 00:20:49.130
or disrupting an
awards ceremony,

00:20:49.130 --> 00:20:50.795
sometimes that's
what we have to do.

00:20:56.390 --> 00:20:58.790
Logistically I was in the
perfect spot to do that,

00:20:58.790 --> 00:21:01.230
and just make those
two statements --

00:21:01.230 --> 00:21:04.800
that she was responsible for the
death of over a million Iraqis.

00:21:04.800 --> 00:21:07.140
And I just wanted her to
know how we felt about her.

00:21:10.370 --> 00:21:13.880
- OK, you guys are
Team 2, Team 1.

00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:15.720
1, 2 team...

00:21:15.720 --> 00:21:17.690
boom.

00:21:17.690 --> 00:21:18.770
You're Battle Buddy Team?

00:21:18.770 --> 00:21:19.697
That way.

00:21:19.697 --> 00:21:22.280
Again, I'm going to reiterate
-- if you don't feel comfortable

00:21:22.280 --> 00:21:24.350
getting, literally, the
hell beat out of you,

00:21:24.350 --> 00:21:25.927
please see our flyer crew.

00:21:25.927 --> 00:21:28.010
One of the things that's
been really effective out

00:21:28.010 --> 00:21:31.640
of our civilians is things
like, "What are you doing?

00:21:31.640 --> 00:21:32.559
What do you want?

00:21:32.559 --> 00:21:33.350
What are you doing?

00:21:33.350 --> 00:21:34.850
Why are you doing this?"

00:21:34.850 --> 00:21:37.340
Like very simple questions,
like, "Why are you doing this?"

00:21:37.340 --> 00:21:39.770
You won't get an answer,
you'll get "Shut the fuck up!"

00:21:39.770 --> 00:21:40.730
This is rough.

00:21:40.730 --> 00:21:42.920
Again, I'll repeat, rough shit.

00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:43.820
OK?

00:21:43.820 --> 00:21:46.970
When you step back into this
role, a lot of IVAW members

00:21:46.970 --> 00:21:49.760
felt like we left this role
behind, like this was something

00:21:49.760 --> 00:21:51.110
that we were done with.

00:21:51.110 --> 00:21:53.260
And when you step
back into it, you

00:21:53.260 --> 00:21:56.045
find how easy it is to actually
step back into this role.

00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:00.714
What we're doing here today
is Operation First Casualty.

00:22:00.714 --> 00:22:02.130
It's our guerrilla
street theater.

00:22:02.130 --> 00:22:03.690
We decided to call
it Operation First

00:22:03.690 --> 00:22:06.969
Casualty because the first
casualty in war is truth.

00:22:06.969 --> 00:22:08.760
And what this guerrilla
street theater does

00:22:08.760 --> 00:22:11.160
is bring just a little
bit of the reality of what

00:22:11.160 --> 00:22:13.320
happens in Iraq home every day.

00:22:13.320 --> 00:22:15.780
It's a little bit
of that occupation

00:22:15.780 --> 00:22:18.270
that we're bringing
here to the DNC

00:22:18.270 --> 00:22:21.330
to let them know what it was
like for U.S. service members,

00:22:21.330 --> 00:22:22.980
and what it's like for Iraqis.

00:22:22.980 --> 00:22:25.230
And we can only show
that in a small amount

00:22:25.230 --> 00:22:28.020
with the street theater, but
it just gives you a taste.

00:22:28.020 --> 00:22:29.970
And yet it scares people.

00:22:29.970 --> 00:22:32.610
It brings up a whole lot of
fear and reaction in people,

00:22:32.610 --> 00:22:35.850
but that's just a small taste
of what the reality of Iraq

00:22:35.850 --> 00:22:38.938
is for Iraqis and U.S.
service members every day.

00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:51.509
- There's no single idea behind
Iraq Veterans Against the War.

00:22:51.509 --> 00:22:53.800
A lot of people come in for
a lot of different reasons.

00:22:53.800 --> 00:22:55.717
But we all stand
behind our three points

00:22:55.717 --> 00:22:57.550
of unity, which are the
immediate withdrawal

00:22:57.550 --> 00:22:59.740
of all occupying forces,
full benefits for returning

00:22:59.740 --> 00:23:02.530
veterans, and reparations
for the Iraqi people.

00:23:02.530 --> 00:23:03.850
And that's what unites us.

00:23:03.850 --> 00:23:06.220
Those are the ideas behind IVAW.

00:23:06.220 --> 00:23:09.470
But also that we are a people
who have seen the cost of war

00:23:09.470 --> 00:23:13.735
firsthand, and we want to share
that with the American people.

00:23:13.735 --> 00:23:16.930
- From Pacifica, this
is Democracy Now.

00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:21.220
- I stand before you today
with the strength, clarity,

00:23:21.220 --> 00:23:25.840
and resolve to declare to
the military, my government,

00:23:25.840 --> 00:23:31.420
and the world that this soldier
will not be deploying to Iraq.

00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:34.420
- Army reservist
Sergeant Matthis Chiroux

00:23:34.420 --> 00:23:37.000
may face prosecution
from the military

00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:40.130
after refusing to report for
active duty with his unit.

00:23:40.130 --> 00:23:43.990
- February, 2008, I received
forced reactivation orders from

00:23:43.990 --> 00:23:49.630
the military ordering me back
to active duty for a year-long

00:23:49.630 --> 00:23:51.630
deployment in Iraq.

00:23:51.630 --> 00:23:55.810
In May, I stood up in
Congress after Winter Soldier

00:23:55.810 --> 00:23:59.140
on the Hill, and I declared
to my country and to the world

00:23:59.140 --> 00:24:03.860
that this soldier will
not be deploying to Iraq.

00:24:03.860 --> 00:24:06.670
It is the powers-that-be
in this land that

00:24:06.670 --> 00:24:09.100
have left me in the
untenable situation of having

00:24:09.100 --> 00:24:12.490
to choose between
criminal charges

00:24:12.490 --> 00:24:16.430
for refusing to participate in
what I consider another crime.

00:24:16.430 --> 00:24:19.570
So it's just an
untenable dilemma.

00:24:19.570 --> 00:24:20.830
You know what?

00:24:20.830 --> 00:24:24.670
I used to think that this
flag right here in my hand

00:24:24.670 --> 00:24:27.430
represented a whole
lot of goodness.

00:24:27.430 --> 00:24:29.840
I was raised to believe
that these stars and stripes

00:24:29.840 --> 00:24:34.010
represented freedom, represented
something good and pure

00:24:34.010 --> 00:24:38.600
that our founding fathers
fought and died to forge.

00:24:38.600 --> 00:24:42.074
And I don't know
about that anymore.

00:24:42.074 --> 00:24:44.972
This flag is no
longer my master!

00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.850
- The military charged
Matthis with misconduct

00:24:54.850 --> 00:24:57.460
for his refusal
to deploy to Iraq.

00:24:57.460 --> 00:25:02.260
A hearing was held
on April 23rd, 2009.

00:25:02.260 --> 00:25:04.060
After the hearing, the
military granted him

00:25:04.060 --> 00:25:07.006
an administrative discharge
under honorable conditions.

00:25:07.006 --> 00:25:08.380
- I think there's
two things that

00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:12.100
give IVAW that unique
power when we communicate.

00:25:12.100 --> 00:25:15.790
And one of them is that we are
Winter Soldiers in the Thomas

00:25:15.790 --> 00:25:16.630
Paine sense.

00:25:16.630 --> 00:25:18.400
"These are the times
that try men's souls.

00:25:18.400 --> 00:25:20.191
The summer soldier and
the sunshine patriot

00:25:20.191 --> 00:25:23.290
will, in this crisis,
shrink from his duty.

00:25:23.290 --> 00:25:26.200
But he that stands by it now,
deserves the love and thanks

00:25:26.200 --> 00:25:27.160
of man and woman."

00:25:27.160 --> 00:25:29.430
And that concept of
winter soldiering,

00:25:29.430 --> 00:25:32.260
of standing up for this country
when it's not in your own best

00:25:32.260 --> 00:25:34.150
interests, when it's
in its darkest hours,

00:25:34.150 --> 00:25:36.850
that we are still people willing
to risk our lives for what we

00:25:36.850 --> 00:25:37.740
believe in --

00:25:37.740 --> 00:25:39.340
that we still
believe, most of us

00:25:39.340 --> 00:25:41.200
at least, that the
Constitution is something

00:25:41.200 --> 00:25:42.555
worth fighting and dying for.

00:25:45.465 --> 00:25:48.470
- For many years anti-war
activists gathered outside

00:25:48.470 --> 00:25:51.920
Walter Reed, a military
hospital in Washington, D.C.,

00:25:51.920 --> 00:25:56.350
to protest ongoing wars
and American war policy.

00:25:56.350 --> 00:25:58.970
- See, it's not as though
we're just anti-war.

00:25:58.970 --> 00:26:02.480
We're particularly against
the way we got into this war.

00:26:02.480 --> 00:26:04.490
-And what we're
doing here is simply

00:26:04.490 --> 00:26:06.680
to remind people of
the true cost of war.

00:26:06.680 --> 00:26:07.580
We need to stop it.

00:26:07.580 --> 00:26:09.455
We need to write our
congressmen and senators

00:26:09.455 --> 00:26:11.750
and say, "Hey,
enough is enough."

00:26:11.750 --> 00:26:14.150
- Over the years pro-war
activists have positioned

00:26:14.150 --> 00:26:17.090
themselves directly across
the street from the anti-war

00:26:17.090 --> 00:26:19.760
activists, creating tension.

00:26:19.760 --> 00:26:23.660
-When our Congress and President
sends our men and women to war,

00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:27.080
you back them to
win for victory.

00:26:27.080 --> 00:26:32.870
I think they're mistaken in
their anti-war thing because,

00:26:32.870 --> 00:26:35.180
number one, I
believe if we don't

00:26:35.180 --> 00:26:40.160
make this thing successful
that al-Qaeda will be here.

00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:42.680
- The anti-war movement has
done a lot to hurt the morale

00:26:42.680 --> 00:26:43.490
of the troops.

00:26:43.490 --> 00:26:45.590
So when the anti-war
people over there

00:26:45.590 --> 00:26:49.130
are saying that we're
losing and we're failing,

00:26:49.130 --> 00:26:51.980
these troops are over there
telling us a different story.

00:26:51.980 --> 00:26:53.960
- War supporters also
gathered at rallies

00:26:53.960 --> 00:26:56.540
for conservative
political candidates,

00:26:56.540 --> 00:26:59.238
such as Sarah Palin.

00:26:59.238 --> 00:27:00.980
- I'm a supporter
of any war that's

00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:04.670
going to protect our interests
and put America first.

00:27:04.670 --> 00:27:08.520
The fact of the matter is, is
that we need a President who's

00:27:08.520 --> 00:27:12.030
going to support the American
interests around the world.

00:27:12.030 --> 00:27:15.470
And if that means going to
war, I mean, no one likes war.

00:27:15.470 --> 00:27:18.770
But no other country puts as
much emphasis on the protection

00:27:18.770 --> 00:27:20.480
of their soldiers as we do.

00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:24.710
- If you don't end it now, it's
just like if you don't get rid

00:27:24.710 --> 00:27:27.380
of the roaches now,
they'll still be around ...

00:27:27.380 --> 00:27:28.770
So you have to have victory now.

00:27:28.770 --> 00:27:30.700
It's the only solution to this.

00:27:37.664 --> 00:27:40.080
- Well, this is the neighborhood
where I actually grew up.

00:27:40.080 --> 00:27:43.320
That's the house I grew
up in, 33 19th Street.

00:27:43.320 --> 00:27:47.165
And there's a lot of things
about the neighborhood that

00:27:47.165 --> 00:27:51.616
have changed, but a lot of
things that are the same.

00:27:51.616 --> 00:27:55.750
I moved here shortly after I was
born, my family moved in here.

00:27:55.750 --> 00:27:58.160
And I lived here until
almost high school.

00:28:05.090 --> 00:28:08.000
The military and growing up
in a neighborhood like this

00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:11.810
have one thing in common,
and that's survival.

00:28:11.810 --> 00:28:14.150
If you're not in the
military, if you don't get out

00:28:14.150 --> 00:28:18.200
of this area one way or another,
what is there around here?

00:28:18.200 --> 00:28:19.940
I went into the
military in 1998.

00:28:19.940 --> 00:28:21.419
I was 17 years old.

00:28:21.419 --> 00:28:23.210
And when I was graduating
from high school,

00:28:23.210 --> 00:28:24.650
or looking at graduation --

00:28:24.650 --> 00:28:26.120
I hadn't even graduated yet --

00:28:26.120 --> 00:28:28.100
I knew that I wasn't
ready to go to college.

00:28:28.100 --> 00:28:28.920
I just...

00:28:28.920 --> 00:28:31.380
I wasn't prepared
mentally for it,

00:28:31.380 --> 00:28:34.070
and I certainly wasn't
prepared financially.

00:28:34.070 --> 00:28:35.990
My family did not have money.

00:28:35.990 --> 00:28:38.360
What I really thought about
was going in the military.

00:28:38.360 --> 00:28:39.890
And I wanted to
join the Marines.

00:28:39.890 --> 00:28:40.760
I really did.

00:28:40.760 --> 00:28:43.037
I wanted to be the biggest,
baddest mother out there.

00:28:43.037 --> 00:28:44.870
I went in and talked
to the Marine recruiter

00:28:44.870 --> 00:28:46.120
and was really happy about it.

00:28:46.120 --> 00:28:48.830
And then I told
my mom about that

00:28:48.830 --> 00:28:51.110
and she begged me,
literally in tears,

00:28:51.110 --> 00:28:54.140
begged me to just talk to
the National Guard recruiter.

00:28:54.140 --> 00:28:59.270
- When I was growing up,
the Guard didn't go to war.

00:28:59.270 --> 00:29:00.530
The Guard stayed home.

00:29:00.530 --> 00:29:03.820
My brother went into the
Guard during the Vietnam War

00:29:03.820 --> 00:29:06.180
to avoid going to Vietnam.

00:29:06.180 --> 00:29:10.510
But in an all-volunteer
Army it works differently,

00:29:10.510 --> 00:29:14.370
which had I known that and done
a little more research on it

00:29:14.370 --> 00:29:17.780
at the time, I never would
have let him get into it.

00:29:21.430 --> 00:29:23.720
- So this is right
outside of the armory

00:29:23.720 --> 00:29:25.130
that I actually drilled at.

00:29:25.130 --> 00:29:27.463
It's actually where I came
and joined the military, too.

00:29:27.463 --> 00:29:30.920
When I first went and showed
up to the recruiter's office

00:29:30.920 --> 00:29:34.550
for the National Guard, this
is the armory where I showed up

00:29:34.550 --> 00:29:36.800
and I talked to the
recruiter for the first time.

00:29:36.800 --> 00:29:40.430
This is the building that the
recruiter told me one line,

00:29:40.430 --> 00:29:41.120
and I signed up.

00:29:41.120 --> 00:29:43.760
He said, "If you come here,
you get to blow shit up."

00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:49.770
- You've taken the first step to
becoming stronger than you ever

00:29:49.770 --> 00:29:51.870
imagined you could be.

00:29:51.870 --> 00:29:55.050
Here you'll discover
adventure, the chance

00:29:55.050 --> 00:29:58.000
to give something
back to your country,

00:29:58.000 --> 00:30:00.260
and the kind of training
that truly prepares you

00:30:00.260 --> 00:30:02.900
for the future.

00:30:02.900 --> 00:30:04.880
- So I was in the New
York Army National Guard,

00:30:04.880 --> 00:30:07.280
and when September 11
happened I was actually

00:30:07.280 --> 00:30:09.020
in class in junior college.

00:30:09.020 --> 00:30:11.007
And my wrestling
coach came to get me,

00:30:11.007 --> 00:30:12.840
and he said, "Millard
you've been activated,

00:30:12.840 --> 00:30:14.260
you're out of here."

00:30:14.260 --> 00:30:16.090
So we did get deployed.

00:30:16.090 --> 00:30:19.150
I ended up spending some
time down at Ground Zero.

00:30:19.150 --> 00:30:22.480
And that's when my political
views really started to shift.

00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:24.430
I called this professor.

00:30:24.430 --> 00:30:27.730
He asked me a question, very
simple, but not so simple.

00:30:27.730 --> 00:30:29.810
He said, "How are you doing?"

00:30:29.810 --> 00:30:31.330
I told him I was
pissed, and when

00:30:31.330 --> 00:30:36.420
a soldier is in the military
and their country is attacked,

00:30:36.420 --> 00:30:38.890
it's our time to go fight.

00:30:38.890 --> 00:30:41.254
And he said, "OK,
I understand that.

00:30:41.254 --> 00:30:43.420
You're a soldier, you
probably should feel that way,

00:30:43.420 --> 00:30:45.990
but who do you want
to go to war with?"

00:30:45.990 --> 00:30:47.350
And I couldn't answer it.

00:30:47.350 --> 00:30:50.260
And it bothered me so bad
that I couldn't answer it.

00:30:50.260 --> 00:30:52.480
So I went into
books for answers.

00:30:52.480 --> 00:30:54.220
I started to read nonstop.

00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:56.110
I started to question
things, and then they

00:30:56.110 --> 00:30:58.510
started talking about Iraq.

00:30:58.510 --> 00:31:00.502
And I started thinking, Iraq?

00:31:00.502 --> 00:31:01.960
Wait, what happened
to the Taliban?

00:31:01.960 --> 00:31:03.043
What happened to al-Qaeda?

00:31:03.043 --> 00:31:05.560
What happened to these
people that did this?

00:31:05.560 --> 00:31:07.070
But I got an order to deploy.

00:31:07.070 --> 00:31:10.390
I got a call one day from
my company commander,

00:31:10.390 --> 00:31:14.810
and he said "We're
going to Iraq."

00:31:14.810 --> 00:31:20.140
I can't help but to think about,
I could have gone to jail.

00:31:20.140 --> 00:31:22.030
I could have gone to Canada.

00:31:22.030 --> 00:31:24.690
I could have resisted,
and I didn't.

00:31:24.690 --> 00:31:27.610
I knew it was wrong, and I
violated my own conscience.

00:31:39.386 --> 00:31:41.330
- Everybody, this
is the Chain Gang.

00:31:41.330 --> 00:31:46.500
The Bush Chain Gang, brought to
you by the Backbone Campaign.

00:31:46.500 --> 00:31:49.440
Since Congress
hasn't had the spine

00:31:49.440 --> 00:31:51.690
to set a precedent
of accountability,

00:31:51.690 --> 00:31:53.520
we the people have
taken it upon ourselves

00:31:53.520 --> 00:31:56.430
to make a citizen's arrest and
send these people to the Hague.

00:31:56.430 --> 00:31:59.086
- Many people became involved
in the anti-war movement

00:31:59.086 --> 00:32:00.960
because they felt very
threatened by the Bush

00:32:00.960 --> 00:32:02.320
Administration.

00:32:02.320 --> 00:32:04.830
So they saw the Bush
Administration as a challenge

00:32:04.830 --> 00:32:08.310
to the values that they held,
they saw it as a challenge

00:32:08.310 --> 00:32:11.340
to the way that they understood
the Constitution and the way

00:32:11.340 --> 00:32:13.380
that they understood
the United States,

00:32:13.380 --> 00:32:16.920
and they felt the need to fight
back against this challenge.

00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:19.170
- The 2008 Presidential
Election was a chance

00:32:19.170 --> 00:32:21.360
to make a change
in the White House.

00:32:21.360 --> 00:32:23.010
Activists took it
as an opportunity

00:32:23.010 --> 00:32:26.100
to voice their opinions
at the ballot box.

00:32:26.100 --> 00:32:29.190
- I supported the President
in the war before you did.

00:32:29.190 --> 00:32:32.370
- But I believe that I would
be the President we need

00:32:32.370 --> 00:32:33.970
at this moment in our history.

00:32:33.970 --> 00:32:38.100
- I am convinced that now we are
on the road to success in Iraq.

00:32:38.100 --> 00:32:41.040
-But President Bush
announced today

00:32:41.040 --> 00:32:45.080
that he was going to put
a pause on the withdrawal.

00:32:45.080 --> 00:32:49.160
- When I became involved
in the early '60s, the idea

00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:56.900
of a Barack Obama was
merely a concept, a dream.

00:32:56.900 --> 00:32:59.810
It was illegal in
most of the country

00:32:59.810 --> 00:33:05.180
for an interracial couple
to dream up, love up,

00:33:05.180 --> 00:33:07.880
and create a Barack Obama.

00:33:07.880 --> 00:33:10.490
- Well, some of us knew
Obama from when he first

00:33:10.490 --> 00:33:12.800
decided to run for any office.

00:33:12.800 --> 00:33:16.670
That's when I first
crossed paths with him.

00:33:16.670 --> 00:33:21.230
So this young kid from Project
Vote shows up, Barack Obama,

00:33:21.230 --> 00:33:24.560
and we interviewed him to see
if his positions were in tune

00:33:24.560 --> 00:33:25.760
with ours.

00:33:25.760 --> 00:33:29.120
I remember thinking, boy,
this kid is very smart.

00:33:29.120 --> 00:33:31.410
He answers each
question very carefully,

00:33:31.410 --> 00:33:33.259
and he says just
the right thing.

00:33:33.259 --> 00:33:34.550
I said, you'll probably go far.

00:33:34.550 --> 00:33:36.355
He might even be
Alderman some day.

00:33:39.320 --> 00:33:43.700
- In 2002, an anti-war rally
was planned in Chicago's Federal

00:33:43.700 --> 00:33:44.900
Plaza.

00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:47.780
Barack Obama, then a
young state Senator,

00:33:47.780 --> 00:33:51.770
was asked to give a speech
to a crowd of 3,000.

00:33:51.770 --> 00:33:56.360
- When we were planning
the speakers for the rally,

00:33:56.360 --> 00:33:58.810
somebody said, "What
about Barack Obama?"

00:33:58.810 --> 00:34:00.796
And then another person
said, "Well, who's he?"

00:34:00.796 --> 00:34:01.920
And I said, I remember him.

00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:02.510
He's a good guy.

00:34:02.510 --> 00:34:03.640
He accepted in a heartbeat.

00:34:03.640 --> 00:34:07.321
It wasn't any big... it
wasn't any big deal over it.

00:34:07.321 --> 00:34:09.320
A friend of mine and I
were standing on the edge

00:34:09.320 --> 00:34:11.210
of the crowd, listening.

00:34:11.210 --> 00:34:13.610
And he started off
that speech listing

00:34:13.610 --> 00:34:16.560
all the wars he supported
starting with the Revolutionary

00:34:16.560 --> 00:34:18.380
War, and the Civil
War, and all this.

00:34:18.380 --> 00:34:20.920
- I don't oppose the war
in all circumstances,

00:34:20.920 --> 00:34:23.780
and when I look out
over this crowd today,

00:34:23.780 --> 00:34:29.239
I know there is no shortage
of patriots or patriotism.

00:34:29.239 --> 00:34:33.040
- So my friend nudges me and he
says, "Who's this speech for?

00:34:33.040 --> 00:34:36.100
It's not for this crowd."

00:34:36.100 --> 00:34:38.870
So now we know
that he was really

00:34:38.870 --> 00:34:40.699
speaking to a much
broader audience,

00:34:40.699 --> 00:34:44.449
and he had much
bigger things in mind.

00:34:44.449 --> 00:34:47.509
- What I do oppose
is a dumb war.

00:34:47.509 --> 00:34:51.909
- It was on that day to a crowd
that was decidedly anti-war,

00:34:51.909 --> 00:34:55.639
far more anti-war
than he was, Barack --

00:34:55.639 --> 00:34:59.360
who we'd all known as a
domestic policy person on issues

00:34:59.360 --> 00:35:02.690
of choice and other issues
that came up in the state

00:35:02.690 --> 00:35:03.980
legislature --

00:35:03.980 --> 00:35:05.415
this was the first
time any of us

00:35:05.415 --> 00:35:07.730
had ever heard him
speak on an issue

00:35:07.730 --> 00:35:09.475
of international consequence.

00:35:09.475 --> 00:35:13.787
And he, more than anyone else
there, blew the crowd away.

00:35:13.787 --> 00:35:16.370
- The fact that Obama came out
early against the war like this

00:35:16.370 --> 00:35:18.260
was absolutely crucial.

00:35:18.260 --> 00:35:22.190
In order to win the presidency,
the first step is to win Iowa.

00:35:22.190 --> 00:35:25.280
And to win Iowa, he
had to do two things.

00:35:25.280 --> 00:35:28.520
He had to distinguish himself
from Hillary Clinton, Edwards,

00:35:28.520 --> 00:35:29.690
and the rest.

00:35:29.690 --> 00:35:33.160
And secondly, he had to
organize an army of volunteers.

00:35:33.160 --> 00:35:35.990
His stand on the war is
what enabled him to do that.

00:35:35.990 --> 00:35:37.880
What awakened the
whole, you know,

00:35:37.880 --> 00:35:41.406
thousands of young people to
come to Iowa and work for him

00:35:42.780 --> 00:35:45.770
they were a new wing of
the anti-war movement.

00:35:45.770 --> 00:35:51.146
- We are giving him the
gift of our vote and support

00:35:51.146 --> 00:35:52.520
without endorsing
him, and saying

00:35:52.520 --> 00:35:53.990
"We want a candidate for peace.

00:35:53.990 --> 00:35:55.460
We want a peace President."

00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:57.680
And I think he's where he's
at because of a big push

00:35:57.680 --> 00:35:59.750
from the anti-war movement.

00:35:59.750 --> 00:36:03.200
- Barack Obama is an
anti-war voice in the minds

00:36:03.200 --> 00:36:05.960
of the American people.

00:36:05.960 --> 00:36:10.100
His message carries far
beyond the organized anti-war

00:36:10.100 --> 00:36:12.110
movement, and I'm glad for that.

00:36:12.110 --> 00:36:15.020
He's spoken to
millions of people

00:36:15.020 --> 00:36:19.100
beyond the reach
of the movement.

00:36:19.100 --> 00:36:24.560
And at the same time,
he's subject to pressures

00:36:24.560 --> 00:36:30.834
from the so-called "center" and
from the conservative elements

00:36:30.834 --> 00:36:33.250
because he's trying to he's
trying to win the White House.

00:36:33.250 --> 00:36:34.666
He's trying to win
the presidency.

00:36:34.666 --> 00:36:37.094
- And I'm just excited
about all the enthusiasm

00:36:37.094 --> 00:36:38.950
that people are showing
for the election.

00:36:38.950 --> 00:36:43.952
And I designed the buttons to
tie in to the sentiments that I

00:36:43.952 --> 00:36:46.160
am feeling -- and I think
other people are feeling --

00:36:46.160 --> 00:36:50.960
about the change that we expect
and want to see after eight

00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:53.660
years of administration that a
lot of people are pretty much

00:36:53.660 --> 00:36:54.856
fed up with.

00:36:54.856 --> 00:36:56.780
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:36:56.780 --> 00:36:58.780
- U.S. out of Middle East!

00:36:58.780 --> 00:37:01.280
No justice, no peace!

00:37:29.420 --> 00:37:33.950
- Our intention is to
deliver the same message

00:37:33.950 --> 00:37:35.690
to the Democratic
Party Convention,

00:37:35.690 --> 00:37:37.250
to the Republican
Party Convention,

00:37:37.250 --> 00:37:38.690
and to the media
that's gathering

00:37:38.690 --> 00:37:40.040
in both of those cities.

00:37:40.040 --> 00:37:42.860
That is, that the people of this
country want this war to end.

00:37:42.860 --> 00:37:45.780
And that regardless of who's
in power in the Congress

00:37:45.780 --> 00:37:48.290
and in the White
House, they must

00:37:48.290 --> 00:37:53.030
use that power to execute
the mandate of the people.

00:37:53.030 --> 00:37:55.730
And that is to begin to
bring these troops home,

00:37:55.730 --> 00:37:59.810
to end this war, to stop pouring
hundreds of billions of dollars

00:37:59.810 --> 00:38:04.100
into it, and to stop killing
Iraqis and undermining

00:38:04.100 --> 00:38:05.930
their life and their culture.

00:38:05.930 --> 00:38:09.200
So it's basically
the same message,

00:38:09.200 --> 00:38:11.360
that if you want
to represent us,

00:38:11.360 --> 00:38:17.390
you need to make a commitment to
act on the will of the people.

00:38:17.390 --> 00:38:21.080
- Protesters are what
it takes in order

00:38:21.080 --> 00:38:25.700
to push their leadership
along the road.

00:38:25.700 --> 00:38:28.460
And they're out there
showing what they support.

00:38:28.460 --> 00:38:34.470
And without them, it would look
like it didn't matter anymore.

00:38:34.470 --> 00:38:37.760
No, this is a democracy.

00:38:37.760 --> 00:38:39.190
People get to speak out.

00:38:51.724 --> 00:38:54.200
- Let's stop putting
all our money

00:38:54.200 --> 00:38:57.290
into the military and the
police and start putting it

00:38:57.290 --> 00:38:59.780
to people's needs, right?

00:38:59.780 --> 00:39:02.320
Education, health care.

00:39:02.320 --> 00:39:04.520
Well, our goal in both
of the conventions

00:39:04.520 --> 00:39:07.340
was to take the peace
message to the conventions.

00:39:07.340 --> 00:39:08.660
And we did it in many ways.

00:39:08.660 --> 00:39:11.120
We had lots of material that
we would give out saying,

00:39:11.120 --> 00:39:12.190
"I'm a voter for peace."

00:39:12.190 --> 00:39:13.670
"I'm a delegate for peace."

00:39:13.670 --> 00:39:15.830
We had a peace
platform that we set up

00:39:15.830 --> 00:39:20.180
in different locations that had
one of the elements of a peace

00:39:20.180 --> 00:39:21.830
platform.

00:39:21.830 --> 00:39:24.320
We had mostly a
positive message,

00:39:24.320 --> 00:39:27.290
but there were times we
did appear in our more

00:39:27.290 --> 00:39:29.106
disruptive kind of format.

00:39:38.430 --> 00:39:41.260
- But let there be
no doubt, my friends,

00:39:41.260 --> 00:39:44.420
we're going to
win this election.

00:39:44.420 --> 00:39:48.420
I know these are tough
times for many of you.

00:39:48.420 --> 00:39:50.420
We worry about...

00:40:00.240 --> 00:40:06.320
- But in general, I think
we brought the message

00:40:06.320 --> 00:40:08.660
that the war is still
happening, that we

00:40:08.660 --> 00:40:10.072
need to do something about it.

00:40:10.072 --> 00:40:10.905
(PROTESTERS SINGING)

00:40:10.905 --> 00:40:14.295
- We are singing for
a peaceful world.

00:40:14.295 --> 00:40:19.220
We are singing for
a peaceful world.

00:40:19.220 --> 00:40:23.170
We are hoping, we
are hoping, we are

00:40:23.170 --> 00:40:27.150
hoping for a peaceful world.

00:40:27.150 --> 00:40:31.650
We are working, we
are working, we are

00:40:31.650 --> 00:40:34.260
working for a peaceful world.

00:40:34.260 --> 00:40:36.660
- This is our 15th
convention, and so we

00:40:36.660 --> 00:40:39.420
have seen protesters before.

00:40:39.420 --> 00:40:43.080
But I think, too, that it's very
disgusting and more than likely

00:40:43.080 --> 00:40:45.520
some of them might be
being paid to do that.

00:40:45.520 --> 00:40:48.320
And if they had any
love for our country,

00:40:48.320 --> 00:40:49.590
they would not do that.

00:40:49.590 --> 00:40:51.944
That's very bad.

00:40:51.944 --> 00:40:53.610
- (SINGING) I ain't
afraid of your jail,

00:40:53.610 --> 00:40:56.750
because I want my freedom,
I want my freedom.

00:40:56.750 --> 00:40:58.280
I want my freedom.

00:40:58.280 --> 00:41:01.400
I ain't afraid of your jail,
because I want my freedom,

00:41:01.400 --> 00:41:04.742
I want my freedom now.

00:41:04.742 --> 00:41:07.820
I ain't afraid of your guns,
because I want my freedom,

00:41:07.820 --> 00:41:11.000
I want my freedom,
I want my freedom.

00:41:11.000 --> 00:41:14.120
I ain't afraid of your guns,
because I want my freedom,

00:41:14.120 --> 00:41:17.600
I want my freedom now.

00:41:17.600 --> 00:41:20.930
- And it is really
pretty, pretty crappy

00:41:20.930 --> 00:41:23.360
when dissent comes
in the form of this.

00:41:23.360 --> 00:41:25.550
These young men and
women that were taken out

00:41:25.550 --> 00:41:29.240
of the Convergence Center, all
they are are young Americans

00:41:29.240 --> 00:41:32.990
that are using their rights that
we all served in the military

00:41:32.990 --> 00:41:35.510
to protect -- the civil
liberties of the United States

00:41:35.510 --> 00:41:36.306
of America.

00:41:36.306 --> 00:41:38.430
- They chased him down and
then bang, bang, bang --

00:41:38.430 --> 00:41:40.320
pound his head right
into the pavement.

00:41:40.320 --> 00:41:46.580
It seemed to me like
excessive violence.

00:41:46.580 --> 00:41:49.040
- Many activists were met with
police resistance when they

00:41:49.040 --> 00:41:51.331
tried to bring their message
of peace to the Republican

00:41:51.331 --> 00:41:53.060
National Convention
in Minneapolis-St.

00:41:53.060 --> 00:41:55.082
Paul in September of 2008.

00:42:08.720 --> 00:42:11.210
- The amount of tear
gas that was used,

00:42:11.210 --> 00:42:14.630
the amount of pepper spray,
the amount of little rubber

00:42:14.630 --> 00:42:17.120
bullets, the
tasering of people --

00:42:17.120 --> 00:42:21.950
if there hadn't been the peace
movement, the anti-war groups

00:42:21.950 --> 00:42:24.230
that were there, the
Republicans would have just

00:42:24.230 --> 00:42:29.870
been able to blithely ignore
eight years of our protesting

00:42:29.870 --> 00:42:31.530
what they've been doing.

00:42:31.530 --> 00:42:34.760
And so it was critical that
we showed up at the RNC.

00:42:48.209 --> 00:42:52.105
- Iraq Veterans Against the
War is a national organization

00:42:52.105 --> 00:42:54.370
of service members
who have served

00:42:54.370 --> 00:42:56.236
in the military
since September 11th.

00:42:56.236 --> 00:42:58.730
And do not leave this
show without moving

00:42:58.730 --> 00:43:02.560
for being just an activist
and a participant at a show,

00:43:02.560 --> 00:43:03.884
but being an organizer.

00:43:03.884 --> 00:43:06.050
We need to organize our
communities to end this war.

00:43:06.050 --> 00:43:09.836
If you're a veteran or a G.I.,
organize veterans and G.I.s

00:43:09.836 --> 00:43:10.610
to end this war.

00:43:31.140 --> 00:43:34.250
- And one of the most impressive
things was after the Rage

00:43:34.250 --> 00:43:36.470
Against the Machine
had its concert,

00:43:36.470 --> 00:43:39.890
and the thousands of people
joined the Iraq Veterans

00:43:39.890 --> 00:43:40.900
against the War --

00:43:40.900 --> 00:43:44.930
walking from the Denver
coliseum four or five miles

00:43:44.930 --> 00:43:46.770
down to the Pepsi Center.

00:43:46.770 --> 00:44:15.310
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:44:15.310 --> 00:44:16.760
- The vets are
leading this march,

00:44:16.760 --> 00:44:19.720
and basically this march is
saying "We will be seen."

00:44:19.720 --> 00:44:22.080
The people who oppose
war, who oppose empire,

00:44:22.080 --> 00:44:24.160
who oppose all this needless...

00:44:24.160 --> 00:44:27.765
all of it, will be seen,
will not be ignored.

00:44:27.765 --> 00:44:30.220
- The Iraq veterans are
carrying the heaviest burden

00:44:30.220 --> 00:44:31.690
but they're also
showing leadership

00:44:31.690 --> 00:44:33.360
about how we can
unite as a movement

00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:35.110
and make a strong statement.

00:44:35.110 --> 00:44:37.450
There are thousands of
people, but the main thing

00:44:37.450 --> 00:44:39.010
is that we are here united.

00:44:39.010 --> 00:44:43.360
Black, white, brown, vets,
civilians, moms, dads --

00:44:43.360 --> 00:44:44.320
it was great.

00:44:49.227 --> 00:44:51.060
- As it became clear
that Barack Obama would

00:44:51.060 --> 00:44:52.860
be the Democratic
Nominee for President,

00:44:52.860 --> 00:44:57.210
some activists grew uneasy
with his stance on Afghanistan.

00:44:57.210 --> 00:45:00.990
- When John McCain said we
could just muddle through

00:45:00.990 --> 00:45:05.130
in Afghanistan, I argued for
more resources and more troops

00:45:05.130 --> 00:45:07.230
to finish the fight
against the terrorists who

00:45:07.230 --> 00:45:09.780
actually attacked us on 9/11.

00:45:09.780 --> 00:45:11.489
- We know for a fact
through the campaign

00:45:11.489 --> 00:45:13.654
that he's talking about
putting an additional 20,000

00:45:13.654 --> 00:45:14.642
troops in Afghanistan.

00:45:14.642 --> 00:45:15.600
We've got to push back.

00:45:15.600 --> 00:45:17.558
We've got to let him know
that those of us that

00:45:17.558 --> 00:45:19.350
walk the precincts,
raise the money,

00:45:19.350 --> 00:45:21.450
are going to be very
disappointed if he moves.

00:45:21.450 --> 00:45:23.666
We need to talk about
a diplomatic solution

00:45:23.666 --> 00:45:25.290
in Afghanistan, and
we've got to remind

00:45:25.290 --> 00:45:26.901
Barack Obama the
majority of Americans

00:45:26.901 --> 00:45:27.900
want to get out of Iraq.

00:45:27.900 --> 00:45:30.222
We don't want to redeploy
troops in to Afghanistan.

00:45:30.222 --> 00:45:31.597
We want to bring
our troops home.

00:45:31.597 --> 00:45:33.554
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:45:50.380 --> 00:45:51.890
- Let's try something bold.

00:45:51.890 --> 00:45:54.170
The world needs
something bold right now.

00:45:54.170 --> 00:45:56.660
It needs to see that
there are people living

00:45:56.660 --> 00:46:00.920
in this country that not only
don't accept this direction,

00:46:00.920 --> 00:46:05.780
but have a clue and an intention
of going out and bringing

00:46:05.780 --> 00:46:10.100
together the kind of independent
mass political movement that

00:46:10.100 --> 00:46:11.560
could really change this.

00:46:14.560 --> 00:46:16.420
- Do you want to die?

00:46:16.420 --> 00:46:18.210
Do you want to die?

00:46:18.210 --> 00:46:19.640
Answer!

00:46:19.640 --> 00:46:21.212
- Don't do this to me!

00:46:21.212 --> 00:46:23.156
Don't do this to me!

00:46:27.516 --> 00:46:30.320
- This plastic
mask protected him.

00:46:30.320 --> 00:46:32.950
If this had been a
real water-boarding,

00:46:32.950 --> 00:46:34.366
he would be unconscious.

00:46:34.366 --> 00:46:36.920
He would be on his
way to drowning.

00:46:36.920 --> 00:46:40.250
He would be very close
to death or dead.

00:46:40.250 --> 00:46:42.370
And this is what
the U.S. practices,

00:46:42.370 --> 00:46:44.720
and has admitted they practice.

00:46:44.720 --> 00:46:48.672
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:46:48.672 --> 00:46:51.142
- Stop the torture,
stop the war!

00:46:51.142 --> 00:46:53.612
That is what we're fighting for!

00:46:53.612 --> 00:46:56.082
Stop the torture, stop the war!

00:46:56.082 --> 00:46:58.552
That is what we're fighting for!

00:46:58.552 --> 00:47:00.388
Stop the torture, stop the war!

00:47:00.388 --> 00:47:03.550
That is what we're fighting for!

00:47:03.550 --> 00:47:05.630
- We have to use all
the technologies that

00:47:05.630 --> 00:47:09.290
are available, and we have to
be creative and smart about how

00:47:09.290 --> 00:47:10.590
we use them.

00:47:10.590 --> 00:47:15.260
But to substitute any of that
for the good old-fashioned

00:47:15.260 --> 00:47:17.870
talking to your neighbors,
knocking on doors,

00:47:17.870 --> 00:47:20.240
organizing --

00:47:20.240 --> 00:47:24.010
that's something that we need
to recommit ourselves to.

00:47:32.420 --> 00:47:35.960
- Just months before the
2008 presidential election,

00:47:35.960 --> 00:47:38.390
many activists focused
their energy on door-to-door

00:47:38.390 --> 00:47:39.980
organizing.

00:47:39.980 --> 00:47:44.610
- Today there's about 10,000
volunteers, 40 names each --

00:47:44.610 --> 00:47:45.380
you do the math.

00:47:45.380 --> 00:47:47.480
So hundreds of
thousands of people

00:47:47.480 --> 00:47:49.880
not only will be spoken
to, but hopefully we'll

00:47:49.880 --> 00:47:54.447
build a national anti-war
list of hundreds of thousands

00:47:54.447 --> 00:47:56.780
of people who want to be
connected to the ongoing effort

00:47:56.780 --> 00:47:57.740
to end the war.

00:47:57.740 --> 00:48:00.350
We're talking to everybody
now about the war

00:48:00.350 --> 00:48:03.815
in Iraq because we want people
to be thinking about how

00:48:03.815 --> 00:48:07.850
if we end the war, but also
that Congress needs to know

00:48:07.850 --> 00:48:09.146
that we want to end the war.

00:48:09.146 --> 00:48:10.520
Would you like to
sign a petition

00:48:10.520 --> 00:48:12.811
that we're going to be handing
in all over the country.

00:48:12.811 --> 00:48:14.524
We have 10,000 people
going door-to-door,

00:48:14.524 --> 00:48:16.190
and we're going to
hand in the petitions

00:48:16.190 --> 00:48:17.690
to Congress on Thursday.

00:48:17.690 --> 00:48:19.661
Would you like to
sign the petition?

00:48:19.661 --> 00:48:20.160
- OK.

00:48:20.160 --> 00:48:22.130
- OK, more information
about things

00:48:22.130 --> 00:48:24.400
that we're organizing
in the neighborhood?

00:48:24.400 --> 00:48:25.230
- Sure.

00:48:25.230 --> 00:48:27.479
- OK, great!

00:48:27.479 --> 00:48:28.159
Excellent.

00:48:31.790 --> 00:48:34.860
- Thank you all
for coming today.

00:48:34.860 --> 00:48:36.260
This is our...

00:48:36.260 --> 00:48:38.310
I guess our operational
headquarters

00:48:38.310 --> 00:48:41.030
for the Million Door campaign.

00:48:41.030 --> 00:48:44.810
And everybody has a
list, right, of 40 names?

00:48:44.810 --> 00:48:45.900
OK.

00:48:45.900 --> 00:48:48.260
Should we try a doorknock?

00:48:48.260 --> 00:48:50.690
OK, would you like
to be an insider?

00:48:50.690 --> 00:48:51.820
And you can be an outsider.

00:49:01.310 --> 00:49:03.770
- Hi, my name is Rachel Pollack.

00:49:03.770 --> 00:49:05.840
I'm with Million
Doors for Peace.

00:49:05.840 --> 00:49:08.810
We're trying to get
people to sign a petition

00:49:08.810 --> 00:49:14.300
to get Congress committed to
bringing our troops from Iraq

00:49:14.300 --> 00:49:15.741
within a year.

00:49:15.741 --> 00:49:18.032
And I was wondering if you'd
like to sign our petition?

00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:23.380
- Oh, great.

00:49:43.520 --> 00:49:45.920
- That sounds good.

00:49:45.920 --> 00:49:46.630
OK.

00:49:46.630 --> 00:49:51.700
My neighbors are pretty
much against this war,

00:49:51.700 --> 00:49:57.100
with I think maybe one strong
exception and one person who

00:49:57.100 --> 00:49:59.170
said she couldn't decide.

00:49:59.170 --> 00:50:02.890
Almost everybody said,
"Yes, this war is bad."

00:50:02.890 --> 00:50:08.080
- The Million Doors for Peace
initiative was a very important

00:50:08.080 --> 00:50:12.340
avenue for peace activists
to plug-in to the elections.

00:50:12.340 --> 00:50:15.700
We were able to talk
person-to-person, door-to-door,

00:50:15.700 --> 00:50:19.390
with people about the war, the
significance of the elections,

00:50:19.390 --> 00:50:23.650
and the need to become involved
in bringing the war to an end.

00:50:23.650 --> 00:50:26.950
Almost everyone we spoke to
made the connection between

00:50:26.950 --> 00:50:30.340
the human costs of the war
and the economic costs --

00:50:30.340 --> 00:50:34.840
and the fact that billions
have been spent on a war that

00:50:34.840 --> 00:50:36.090
should never have been fought.

00:50:43.420 --> 00:50:45.575
- We're standing in front
of Shoesmith Elementary

00:50:45.575 --> 00:50:48.510
School, which is where
Barack Obama voted

00:50:48.510 --> 00:50:50.510
and where she's a
first time voter.

00:50:50.510 --> 00:50:51.735
And she's voted just now.

00:50:51.735 --> 00:50:52.360
I'm very proud.

00:50:52.360 --> 00:50:54.470
- I work in the neighborhood,
so where I work at

00:50:54.470 --> 00:50:56.540
is going to be
very busy and it's

00:50:56.540 --> 00:50:58.926
going to be a lot of
activity going on tonight.

00:50:58.926 --> 00:51:03.420
- Yeah, the war is absolutely
a significant factor for me.

00:51:03.420 --> 00:51:04.660
It's senseless.

00:51:04.660 --> 00:51:06.060
He's going to get us out of it.

00:51:06.060 --> 00:51:07.480
He's got my total support.

00:51:23.310 --> 00:51:26.750
- Well, I think he'll
restore confidence in America

00:51:26.750 --> 00:51:28.580
as a leader in the world.

00:51:28.580 --> 00:51:31.147
And I think he'll seek out
people who understand the war.

00:51:31.147 --> 00:51:33.230
And I think he'll make the
best decision possible.

00:51:33.230 --> 00:51:34.550
- And I think he's
going to bring us home.

00:51:34.550 --> 00:51:34.880
- Bring the troops home.

00:51:34.880 --> 00:51:36.350
He's not going to cut and run.

00:51:36.350 --> 00:51:39.170
Make a responsible decision,
bring the people home.

00:51:39.170 --> 00:51:40.410
I'm a former veteran myself.

00:51:44.080 --> 00:51:50.320
- If there is anyone out there
who still doubts that America

00:51:50.320 --> 00:51:54.790
is a place where all
things are possible,

00:51:54.790 --> 00:51:59.170
who still wonders if the
dream of our founders is alive

00:51:59.170 --> 00:52:05.620
in our time, who still questions
the power of our democracy --

00:52:05.620 --> 00:52:07.700
tonight is your answer.

00:52:14.270 --> 00:52:16.670
- Now that Obama
has been elected,

00:52:16.670 --> 00:52:20.150
I think the role of the anti-war
community, the peace community,

00:52:20.150 --> 00:52:25.040
is to be there as the
conscience of President Obama --

00:52:25.040 --> 00:52:29.030
to be there to
remind him that he

00:52:29.030 --> 00:52:33.790
was elected on a stop-the-war
platform, really.

00:52:33.790 --> 00:52:37.592
- But I want you to see
what the United States has

00:52:37.592 --> 00:52:40.880
been doing for six years!

00:52:40.880 --> 00:52:43.520
- Preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution

00:52:43.520 --> 00:52:44.420
of the United States.

00:52:44.420 --> 00:52:47.090
- If we don't stand up
today, these same policies

00:52:47.090 --> 00:52:50.210
will be continued by
the next president.

00:52:50.210 --> 00:52:52.340
- Preserve, protect, and
defend the Constitution

00:52:52.340 --> 00:52:53.510
of the United States.

00:52:53.510 --> 00:52:57.830
- Barack Obama has already said
he wants to send 30,000 more

00:52:57.830 --> 00:52:59.540
troops to Afghanistan.

00:52:59.540 --> 00:53:00.410
- So help you God?

00:53:00.410 --> 00:53:01.280
- So help me God.

00:53:01.280 --> 00:53:02.690
- Congratulations,
Mr. President.

00:53:02.690 --> 00:53:06.610
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:53:26.730 --> 00:53:29.940
- Our power doesn't come
from the ballot box.

00:53:29.940 --> 00:53:34.690
Where our power comes from
is that he needs our energy.

00:53:34.690 --> 00:53:37.660
So we have to hold his feet to
the fire, and say, "No, no, no,

00:53:37.660 --> 00:53:38.160
no.

00:53:38.160 --> 00:53:39.810
40,000 troops left in Iraq?

00:53:39.810 --> 00:53:42.110
Not good enough.

00:53:42.110 --> 00:53:43.610
All the troops out.

00:53:43.610 --> 00:53:46.190
Immediate withdrawal of
all occupying forces."

00:53:46.190 --> 00:53:48.050
- They can't just
assume now we've

00:53:48.050 --> 00:53:50.600
elected our President,
everything's going

00:53:50.600 --> 00:53:52.310
to go the way we want it to.

00:53:52.310 --> 00:53:54.320
They have to keep
right on keeping

00:53:54.320 --> 00:53:57.860
on the way they are
now, and let him

00:53:57.860 --> 00:53:59.780
know what they expect of him.

00:53:59.780 --> 00:54:03.920
- The movement encompasses
legislative, electoral,

00:54:03.920 --> 00:54:06.170
and grassroots organizing,
you know, so many things.

00:54:06.170 --> 00:54:08.030
And the movement
to end the war --

00:54:08.030 --> 00:54:10.940
yes, having an anti-war
politician in office

00:54:10.940 --> 00:54:13.040
is really important,
but he's there

00:54:13.040 --> 00:54:16.280
because we want a
politician who will be more

00:54:16.280 --> 00:54:17.960
susceptible to our demands.

00:54:17.960 --> 00:54:20.229
It's not about what the
President's going to do

00:54:20.229 --> 00:54:21.020
or not going to do.

00:54:21.020 --> 00:54:22.645
It's going to be, is
he going to listen

00:54:22.645 --> 00:54:24.350
to what we want them to do?

00:54:24.350 --> 00:54:27.560
..."Ending the war in Iraq," and
I taped over it and made it say

00:54:27.560 --> 00:54:32.886
"Ended," so we can talk about
it like we already did it.

00:54:32.886 --> 00:54:35.480
He speaks at our conferences.

00:54:35.480 --> 00:54:41.150
- War is an inflammation of
an underlying condition where

00:54:41.150 --> 00:54:43.430
there's a moment of
illumination, perhaps,

00:54:43.430 --> 00:54:50.132
a moment of challenge, a moment
of character-testing where

00:54:50.132 --> 00:54:51.590
everbody matters
more than usual --

00:54:51.590 --> 00:54:55.010
because the war is not
going to be a 30-year war.

00:54:55.010 --> 00:54:56.420
Hopefully not.

00:54:56.420 --> 00:54:59.120
It's going to be a 2-year war,
a 10-year war, or something

00:54:59.120 --> 00:54:59.790
in between.

00:54:59.790 --> 00:55:03.710
So you get the feeling that
every moment that you're not

00:55:03.710 --> 00:55:06.020
giving yourself
to ending the war,

00:55:06.020 --> 00:55:08.270
you're actually
helping the other side.

00:55:08.270 --> 00:55:11.510
- The eighth anniversary of the
invasion of Iraq on March 19th,

00:55:11.510 --> 00:55:14.780
2010, brought thousands
of people into the streets

00:55:14.780 --> 00:55:18.380
of Washington, D.C. to protest
the ongoing wars in Iraq

00:55:18.380 --> 00:55:19.520
and Afghanistan.

00:55:19.520 --> 00:55:21.560
The sizes of these
crowds were much smaller

00:55:21.560 --> 00:55:23.816
than they had been
during Bush's presidency.

00:55:23.816 --> 00:55:25.748
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:56:03.560 --> 00:56:06.770
- The work of the anti-war
movement played a critical role

00:56:06.770 --> 00:56:09.320
in changing the consciousness
of millions of people in this

00:56:09.320 --> 00:56:10.160
country.

00:56:10.160 --> 00:56:14.090
By our own actions, we modeled
for many people that they too

00:56:14.090 --> 00:56:16.490
could be activists -- that
they could take public action,

00:56:16.490 --> 00:56:18.230
that they could
take a public stand.

00:56:18.230 --> 00:56:22.460
- The rebirth of
activism during the 2000s

00:56:22.460 --> 00:56:25.400
helped to create a whole
new generation of activists

00:56:25.400 --> 00:56:28.070
that will continue to make a
difference in American politics

00:56:28.070 --> 00:56:29.400
for generations to come.

00:56:37.210 --> 00:56:39.840
- In the spring
of 2011, millions

00:56:39.840 --> 00:56:41.970
of young activists
across the Arab world

00:56:41.970 --> 00:56:44.310
began a movement for
peace and justice

00:56:44.310 --> 00:56:46.230
that came to be known
as the Arab Spring.

00:56:51.830 --> 00:56:53.420
Later that same
year, New York City

00:56:53.420 --> 00:56:56.750
saw the birth of the Occupy
Wall Street movement, comprised

00:56:56.750 --> 00:56:59.420
of activists protesting
economic inequality

00:56:59.420 --> 00:57:01.520
and social injustice.

00:57:01.520 --> 00:57:03.830
Many of these protesters
had their first experiences

00:57:03.830 --> 00:57:07.266
with activism in the anti-war
movement of the 2000s.

00:57:10.905 --> 00:57:13.650
After a decade of anti-war
activism in the United States,

00:57:13.650 --> 00:57:16.260
coupled with the economic and
political struggles at home

00:57:16.260 --> 00:57:19.320
and abroad, the activists
hit the mainstream

00:57:19.320 --> 00:57:23.370
when TIME magazine named "The
Protester" Person of the Year.

00:57:23.370 --> 00:57:26.790
- It's been a remarkable year
for political protests across

00:57:26.790 --> 00:57:30.720
the world -- a year that
began with the Arab Spring

00:57:30.720 --> 00:57:33.630
and the year that's ending
with protests in many parts

00:57:33.630 --> 00:57:37.350
of the world, including
in Russia and Syria,

00:57:37.350 --> 00:57:39.780
and across Europe, and
across the United States with

00:57:39.780 --> 00:57:41.800
the Occupy Wall Street movement.

00:58:02.664 --> 00:58:07.128
- This is an affirmation
of citizen activism,

00:58:07.128 --> 00:58:10.600
and it's key to our democracy.

00:58:10.600 --> 00:58:16.056
One vote for every four
years is insufficient!

00:58:16.056 --> 00:58:20.024
Look at what our apathy
has gotten us into.

00:58:20.024 --> 00:58:23.000
So listen up, Americans!

00:58:23.000 --> 00:58:26.155
This is what
democracy looks like!

00:58:26.155 --> 00:58:27.030
(PROTESTERS CHANTING)

00:58:27.030 --> 00:58:28.746
- This is what
democracy looks like!

00:58:28.746 --> 00:58:30.718
Show me what
democracy looks like!

00:58:46.807 --> 00:58:48.390
- I think it's so
important for people

00:58:48.390 --> 00:58:54.120
to stand up if they truly
believe in speaking out,

00:58:54.120 --> 00:58:56.490
and believe in speaking
truth to power.

00:58:56.490 --> 00:59:00.420
And if they are against the
crimes that are going on,

00:59:00.420 --> 00:59:01.690
they must do so.

00:59:01.690 --> 00:59:03.960
Otherwise, they're accomplices.

00:59:03.960 --> 00:59:06.510
Their silence is consent.

00:59:06.510 --> 00:59:11.220
- I can't guarantee you that
if you get up off your couch,

00:59:11.220 --> 00:59:13.410
or get out from
behind your computer,

00:59:13.410 --> 00:59:17.160
or from out in front of your
TV and start protesting,

00:59:17.160 --> 00:59:19.819
start writing letters, start
getting out on the streets,

00:59:19.819 --> 00:59:20.860
that you'll be effective.

00:59:20.860 --> 00:59:25.860
My suspicion is that you will
be, because anything helps.

00:59:25.860 --> 00:59:27.900
But I can guarantee
you, if you don't try,

00:59:27.900 --> 00:59:29.590
you're not going to
make a difference.

00:59:29.590 --> 00:59:32.280
- I've been so fortunate
to meet some of the truly

00:59:32.280 --> 00:59:33.615
most impressive activists.

00:59:33.615 --> 00:59:36.360
They're absolutely heroic
in their dedication,

00:59:36.360 --> 00:59:38.760
in their intellect,
in their study,

00:59:38.760 --> 00:59:42.000
in their awareness of what's
really going on and why.

00:59:42.000 --> 00:59:45.270
I just am amazed at those folks.

00:59:45.270 --> 00:59:49.892
- But it actually is the, quote,
"ordinary people" who care

00:59:49.892 --> 00:59:51.600
and who think they
can make a difference,

00:59:51.600 --> 00:59:54.450
and who are willing to make the
sacrifice, who are the shapers

00:59:54.450 --> 00:59:56.110
and makers of history.

00:59:56.110 --> 00:59:58.590
And when you know that,
when you feel it --

00:59:58.590 --> 01:00:00.990
especially if you've had the
kind of visceral experience

01:00:00.990 --> 01:00:02.865
of having gone through
it in your own life --

01:00:02.865 --> 01:00:05.090
you know that that's
not just rhetoric.

01:00:05.090 --> 01:00:06.499
You know that that's real.

01:00:06.499 --> 01:00:08.040
And if it's real,
then it can happen,

01:00:08.040 --> 01:00:09.190
and you can make it happen.

01:00:09.190 --> 01:00:11.880
(ROCK 'N ROLL MUSIC PLAYING)

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