Questioning the Veracity of the Peace Movement's Leadership - David Swanson of UFPJ and Afterdowningstreet.org - Philly Truth
Questioning the Veracity of the Peace Movement
David Swanson, a leading voice for mainstay organizations seeking to end the war and impeach the Bush administration, continues to be adversarial toward the 9/11 Truth movement. With hopes to establish why Swanson is adverse to 9/11 skepticism, members of Philly 9/11 Truth attended a Progressive Democrats of South Jersey forum wherein Swanson was the main speaker. After boosting the Obama campaign by pulling the tired phrase “lesser of two evils”, he fielded questions from the audience. As Philly 9/11 Truth members steered the topic onto the 9/11 cover-up, the audience offered their own personal anecdotes in agreement. Swanson however attempted to marginalize the matter by citing it as the 439th issue to be concerned with and furthermore claimed that 9/11 Truth is “largely, nonsensical and not helpful.”
The purpose of the truth-squad was to establish why the leadership of the Peace movements are in opposition to pursuing peace through the mechanisms of 9/11 Truth. From Swanson’s rebuttals it is clear that there are many misconceptions about the beliefs and methodological practices of the 9/11 Truth movement. This however may be more than a simple misunderstanding and possibly be indicative of greater concern. We must continue to push for support from the Peace movement leadership, however we must be aware of the possibilities for corruption and narrow-mindedness that prevent truth from prevailing.
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I don't like that guy.
9/11 Truth is the key. He doesn't seem to be taking the situation of our country as serious as I'd like a leader of a group to do. I'd say if you can win over the group members and pass out information to them, maybe you can find a group leader who has more passion for the truth and a more commitment to tackling corruption in our society.
The reason the
The reason the Impeachment-End-the-War-Gang (IEWG) have performed abysmally is because it is not designed to succeed. It is run by individuals and who are either paid stooges or born suckers shilling for Empire. Just a week or so ago it was confirmed by documented proof that the Bush Administration has lied to Congress, the American People and the world 970 plus times. If the present leadership of IEWG can't collect the pot of gold with a handful of ACES like that than they need to be replaced for sheer inadequacy alone. Leadership roles in any and all groups and agencies always needs to be kept in check.
This guy Swanson was swinging votes to Obama when he clearly knows things like Obama foreign policy adviser, Akhmadov, is a wanted terrorist from one of the five nations that sits on the Security Council at the UN. Russia wants Akhmadov extradited into their custody to stand trial for multiple murder charges. There have been repeated requests that Akhmadov not be allowed to stay in Washington. Russia has been demanding Akhmadov's extradition since 2003. "He's a terrorist, there is no doubt about it," commented Aleksander Lukashevich, senior political counselor at the Russian Embassy in Washington. "We have proof . . . Our foreign minister has made Russia's position on extradition quite clear." "Harboring terrorists, their henchmen and sponsors undermines the unity and mutual trust of parties to the antiterrorist front," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in an address to the U.N. General Assembly in 2004.
David Swanson is swinging votes towards this Obama gang and selling it as the "lesser of two evils." Only an idiot would take the bait and ignore the fact that there are at least three other choices and none in contention with evil. The best choice would be Ron Paul, the biggest Peace candidate there is, a candidate the Peace Movement has clearly ignored (how authentic can the Movement be?). We also have Cynthia McKinney and probably Ralph Nader to choose from. The lid has been blown off the Peace Movement and the Impeachment Movement.
'Lesser of two evils'
'Lesser of two evils' has been, is still, and shall remain one of the most dis-empowering mentalities in the history of our species. Thanks to it, masses of people have been hoodwinked into channeling their energies into aiding what they don't really want while diverting it away from what they do really want.
'It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.' -Eugene Debs.
Is there a way to get the
Is there a way to get the video embed code for this video to be posted over at WeAreChange.org This was excellent and should be shared by many.
go to
go to http://blip.tv/search?q=philly911truth&x=0&y=0 then the 'share' link, then the drop down box for 'most web blogs and websites'
Click To
Click To Play
Easy on Swanson--He's Doing Good Work
I watched the video. His comment about "nonsensical" was disappointing and probably infuriating to a lot of us. But just keep in mind what is going on here.
First is the economic analysis: The guy's full-time job ($$$) is this Downing Memos/ImpeachBush gig. The 9/11 Truth Movement takes away contributors and volunteers. It's about territory. We're moving in on his turf.
Second is that we as a movement have been hurt by successful co-intel pro of laser beams and pods. That is ready ammo for those with a disposition not to believe (see above).
Third is the lack of mainstream acceptance. Swanson, as many commentators have pointed out, is a long-time political operative. He plays in the mainstream and will avoid the taint of anything outside of it. Same for Amy Goodman. They are protecting their reps and credibility with a larger group.
All that said, Swanson has done good work in the impeachment area and deserves our respect for that, just as Amy Goodman does. We just need to stay at them, chipping away.
Now, get out there on the street and give out some DVDs!!!
Swanson and you are missing
Swanson and you are missing the point, the tide has shifted. The Truth at this stage is not a radical idea, it is the most apparent scenario which is backed up with testimonials, expert analysis and facts. If Swanson is looking to protect his credibility he better take a hold of 911 Truth now otherwise he looks like a fool or a stooge. Clearly his opinion is questionable after his comments. He states all of the reasons why there should be an investigation yet in the same breath finishes by saying the Movement is (paraphrasing) a bunch of kooks. He couldn't give one straight answer when there is no reason not to.
When...
Downsizer DC was promoting 9/11: Press For Truth, they downplayed the idea that they could have been involved. They took some flack for that, and released this statement. I wrote them a letter that addressed this issue by saying, "I have been doing this for 5 years. I think it's safe to say that I have probably read more than you on the subject. All I can say is, I don't know what happened on 9/11, but because of the fact this administration wanted to go to war, and because of all of the lies we were told about 9/11, and believe me, there are a great deal more than what is presented in the 84 minutes of 9/11: Press For Truth, and because of the obstruction of justice, and because they have used 9/11 to get their war, they have become suspects in the crime of 9/11. I have little doubt that if a real investigation were to take place, those sitting in the White House would be found guilty for, at the very least, criminal negligence, and at the most, pre-meditated manslaughter.
Please, don't downplay the possibility."
Who Is? Archives
I organized engagements for Sibel Edmonds to speak at the GOP Co
I organized engagements for Sibel Edmonds to speak at the GOP Convention protests in 2004. The peace & justice leadership would not allow her to speak at their events. Only NY NOW would, because the head of NY NOW at the time was a 9/11 truth seeker.
Before that at the massive anti-war marches in NY and San Francisco I tried to get the leadership of the anti-war movements to take on 9/11 truth and allow 9/11 widows to speak about the ongoing 9/11 cover up. They wouldn't allow it.
So, we raised money to create thousands of the iconoclastic "Stop the 9/11 Cover Up" signs and organized volunteers to go to NY and San Francisco to pass them out to anti-war marchers.
THE RESPONSE WAS OVERWHELMING. WE PASSED OUT ALL THE 9/11 TRUTH SIGNS AS MANY PROTESTERS DROPPED THE ANTI-WAR SIGNS THEY'D BROUGHT OPTING FOR 9/11 TRUTH SIGNS INSTEAD.
Thousands of "Stop the 9/11 Cover Up" signs were seen by millions of Americans in the news the day of and after the anti-war marches.
MY POINT. It is obvious that rank and file peace & justice activists KNEW THAT 9/11 LIES WERE AT THE ROOT OF THE WAR, THE LOSS OF RIGHTS, ETC. ETC.
HOW COULD THE PEACE & JUSTICE LEADERSHIP BE SO DUMB NOT TO SEE THAT?
I don't think they could be that dumb, which makes me wonder what their motivation was.
I'm not saying all p&j leaders had nefarious motives, but I'm saying a few strategically placed ones may have, and they intimidated or humiliated any other Peace & justice leaders who moved towards 9/11 truth.
I'm asking all legitimate peace & justice leaders from UP&J, Int'l Answer, etc. etc. to look back and remember if certain people manipulated you and your movement away from the most important issue of our time "the 9/11 lies" that have ruined our democracy.
Think back, so we can unite for a real 9/11 investigation, for exposing the lies of 9/11 will end the spell of terror, stop the wars, and end the stripping of our liberty in a way no other act can.
Signs better than speculating
>>I don't think they could be that dumb, which makes me wonder what their motivation was.
Yes, but to me, for some of them, the motivation is obvious -- they are cowed by the MSM attacks just as the Congress and most others are, and are terrified, like the Dems themselves, of being labeled conspiracy theorists and destroyed. And likely many of them are so enamored with authority that they likely believe the official story -- many who are ostracized "leaders" are actually often irrationally awed by authority on key issues like this, even as they can see through the more obvious lies. There are psychological issues at play. For some, likely, not all.
It's likely that groups on the left are infiltrated in their leadership, but the best way to get past that is to focus on direct outreach and our own work, not taking them down. It's reasonable to challenge peace leadership on 9/11 and our points and evidence, but beyond that, unless someone is former CIA, we are only speculating on their motivation or purpose.
The signs campaign exposed the truth.
The complete
Here is David Swanson's complete speech before the Q&A by philly911truth.org which was oddly cut out, even though the questions seem to have been recorded by the camera of the following three videos.
http://www.davidswanson.org/?q=node/1094
Though he does make a lot of sense on impeachment, the trivialization of 911 is just wrong as the internal corruption that allowed 911 to happens persists today. This same internal corruption is exactly why impeachment has not happened, torture is allowed, etc. And to say that Obama is the lesser of two evils, though may be theoretically justifiable to some, candidates such as Cynthia McKinley, Ron Paul, Mike Gravel, and Dennis Kucinich (yes he did resign) are candidates that I can look myself in the mirror after voting and feel morally sound, though parts of the same 911 corruption, e.g. mass media complicity, won't give these candidates a fair chance.
BTW: The event was held in the middle of nowhere with a very scant turnout, so to commend the Saturday night anti-war turnout as admirable was a bit of an exaggeration. Though the food was appreciated, I hope that the advertising of this remote location was just as savory as the catering of hogies (subs), wraps, and other goodies. The pro-war group at the entrance to the church actually helped in finding its concealed location, guess a sort of thanks are in order there aside from genocide advocacy issues, although they almost inadvertently ended up as deers in the car's headlights.
some thoughts
1) The USA became a global empire in 1945, not on 9/11/01.
2) Swanson has a point about some people/ideas being "nonsensical", those being no planes hit the towers, space beams brought down the towers, and a lot of other lesser wild tales, many of which can be attributed to misinformation and misunderstandings.
3) That is why it was necessary to challenge his blanket dismissal with FACTS that are not "nonsensical", and to set the record straight in as few words as possible.
4) It's a good sign that a lot of anti-war people GET IT. It doesn't suprise me that entrenched "leaders" don't. There has been a lot of criticism lobbed at UFPJ for their abysmal timing, scheduling massive protests on dates that don't have any meaning, don't relate to political developments, and so fail to achieve anything or even draw much attention.
5) There is infiltration in all US anti-establishment movements. It is necessary to be diligent and DEMOCRATIC, so you don't hand your movement to a few connected moles. The Green party seems to have gone that way, and is now not even on the radar. They have never secured one single seat in the congress -- so what's the point of running for president? They have no chance. It they were smart (honest) they would win seats in Congress first, and governorships, then pour all their energies into the presidential runs. They have it exactly backwards, and have gotten nowhere as a result.
70 Disturbing Facts About 9/11
John Doraemi publishes Crimes of the State Blog
http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/
johndoraemi --at-- yahoo.com.