Libertarians, progressives
should work together

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

I am relatively new to the Asheville area, and the May 8th issue of the AGR was the first I have picked up and read. I found the articles to be informative, the commentary to be thought-provoking, and I intend to continue reading it.

However, I am disappointed with the comic strip featured in this issue that attacked libertarians. I am a card carrying member of the Libertarian Party, and I will be the first to admit that there are many legitimate criticisms that can be leveled against libertarians and the LP. However, the notion that libertarians would roll over for anyone who promised them a tax cut is not one of them. George W Bush is pushing for what I believe is one of the biggest tax cuts in our nation’s history, and libertarians do not support Bush.

We have a common enemy, the neo-conservatives. They have lumped us all under the label of “traitor”. Libertarians and progressives should be making the most of this treason, rather than wasting time and energy sniping at each other.

John L. Robinson

Drop the civil; get downright disobedient

Editors, Asheville Global Report,

We have failed the people of Iraq. Because of our complacency, over 2,000 civilians are dead and a country lays in ruins. You and I have blood on our hands, because we were not willing to do what it takes to stop this war. When Bush dismissed millions of people in the streets as a “focus group”, it should have been painfully obvious that our tactics needed to change. Sure there were some office occupations, symbolic die-ins and other acts of civil disobedience. But for the most part they were just that; symbolic and civil. Meanwhile the rest of us continued to complacently wave signs and attend candlelight vigils as Bush and his cronies “shock and awed” the Iraqi people with cluster bombs and thousands of rounds of depleted uranium. The mainstream movement has this notion that the only way to oppose a war is to march, and if that doesn’t work, they march again anyway.

What does it take to stop a war like this? First it is important to recognize the objectives of this war: money and power. The second step is to attack these two foundations of war. Since it is clear that popular opinion doesn’t matter, it is necessary to make the war as unprofitable, both economically and politically, as possible. The people of San Francisco had the right idea. The day after the war started, they shut down the entire financial district for the day and created significant disruptions for another week. Thus they were able to cut into the profits of war profiteers and create an atmosphere of unrest, which if it had spread across the country would have caused such serious disruptions that Bush would have had to think twice about carrying out this war. Only when the war hawks feel threatened will we be listened to.

Now is more important then ever to act against the imperial policies of the US. As Bush sets his sights on the next country, we must target the architects of these deadly policies. They have names such as Richard Perle, Michael Ledeem, Daniel Pipes, and George Shulz. They run companies like United Defense, Bechtel, and Halliburton. And right wing think tanks such as Project for a New American Century and the American Enterprise institute. And most importantly, they all have addresses. It is time to bring this war to their doorsteps and bank accounts. It is time to give them a taste of what shock and awe is all about. Maybe then they will think again about supporting these wars. Maybe if war becomes unprofitable, they will stop. Most importantly we need to recognize that sometimes it is necessary to drop the civil and get downright disobedient. Take the war to the war makers!

John W. Booth

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