Diana Silbergild, Utica, New York

Sarah James, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Kristin Casper, San Francisco, California

Jacqueline Baker, 23, Organizer, Miami, Florida

Margie Klein, Washington DC

Yesterday, February 17th, was President's Day here in the U.S. The day is a national holiday created to celebrate and honor the long line of aging white men who have served as presidents of our country. I did take a day off work for this day, but I honored it as a day to be rewarded for all of the hard work I do everyday to undo all of the terrible decisions our president makes. Whether it be to refuse responsibilities for the greenhouse gases U.S. companies put into everyone's sky, or to push forward for a politically motivated war despite the guidance of the rest of world, the U.S. administration is a neo-imperialist body that moves forward toward economic gain no matter what the costs to the environment or citizens of the world at large. Our current administration taints the ideals this country was based upon, and makes me embarassed to be an American.

Cassie Wyss, Madison, Wisconsin

Climate change, huh? Well, I think the Bush administration's policy on global climate change is fundamentally disrespectful and smacks of exactly the kind of hubris and egoism that has brought empires down from time immemorial. How can the U.S. profess to be a leader of the global community if it so consistently exempts itself--as it has time and time again--from those very rules which are laid out to define a common set of standards and behavior that renders one a member of that community? In issues ranging from climatne change to children's rights to the international criminal court, the U.S. has done its best to shirk responsibilty, and by and large, has succeeded. But that's not leadership, it's cowardice. Fess up, face up, and do your part, that's what I say.

Amy Chen, San Francisco, California

As any conscientious American knows, Bush is not a leader, not a politician, and not a man for the people. His track record environmentally is the worst for any American president, and he is only at mid-term. He has little regard for the rights of women; his Administration has cut funding for things like planned parenthood without offering any alternative (education, grants, etc.) which will not stop abortions but merely punish the poor. As for the war .... September Eleventh was a long time coming due to America's hideous post WWII foreign policy. As early as the 80's struggling 'terrorists' were saying that eventhough America has serious millitary clout that no one can match, some day 'they' will find a way to bomb NYC. Bush's war for oil is just another way to pad the pockets of his fat cat friends (who have ripped off billions from hard working Americans AND constitute Bush's CABINET). Anyway, this rant is probably indicative of the deeper iceberg below the surfaces that I am touching. Have no fear! This war ain't on yet! Keep working against it, and we will work on getting this yahoo out of office for real this next election. no thieving allowed!

Bryan Sobehrad, Tucson, Arizona

On the war: The American people absolutely do not want war. The fact that the world does not know this is only a result of corporate media turning a deaf ear to our voices. Millions of people have rallied, marched, and spoken in every corner of the country against the pseudo-democratic dictatorship that our un-elected president demands, and it is of course his opinion that the American public are simply a "focus group." Well, this particular focus group is the same group that he is supposed to represent. I could go on and on...

Udi Lazimy, Indianapolis, Indiana

On climate change: With all the wealth and technology we have in this country it's embarrassing that we are not working to cut our global warming emissions. The federal government has consistently blocked efforts to decrease the global warming emissions from the United States and the world as a whole. Our government needs to start listening to the people it represents and enact policies to lessen our impact on the world, rather than listening to the oil companies that paid for their campaigns.
On the War: the only Americans that truly support this war live in Washington D.C. The American people know that killing the citizens of Iraq, exposing our cousins, brothers and friends to war, and strong arming the world into following our foreign policy is not the answer to the world's problems. It's unfortunate that our President and congress don't hear this message, but we'll keep sending it from small towns to college towns until they do.

Megan Fitzgerald, Madison, Wisconsin

The peace movement outside the United States receives more news coverage by the American media than the movement with in the United States. However when it comes to the prospect of war, this is not a country united. There are people who are outraged with the Bush Administration, and they demonstrate their discontent all over the country each day.
Unfortunately, the message of peace is often drowned out by the message of "homeland security." The Bush Administration has been successful in creating the rhetoric for war within the American media. This admistration has not been successful in quieting the growing opposition to a war. The peace movement is made up of grandparents, parents, students, actors, musicians, artists, business people, and academics. We are not a country of quiet discontent.

Colleen Sarna, Bolingbrook, Illinois

My America cares about freedom from oppression, believes the people deserve the power to rule, and wants our power to bring about good in the world. After all, we have these things for ourselves, and are not all men created equal? This is why it jars me when our government uses the rhetoric of America's ideals to enjoin support for immoral policies.
President Bush rightly condemns Saddam Hussein's Iraq, but for all the wrong reasons. On one hand, Bush decries Iraq's human rights record, persecution of ethnic minorities, and state-led tyranny. Sounds fine to me- I'm in solidarity with the Iraqi people as well. However these days, Bush emphasizes that Saddam is a menace to his neighbors, a friend of terrorism, and a direct threat to the US. In this scenario, getting rid of Saddam is so important to our survival that all means are justified. In other words, to hell with the Iraqi people and the international community- America's interests come first. All the talk about Saddam's tyranny sounds like warm and fuzzy padding over our lead-filled gloves.
This is why so many Americans are opposed to war with Iraq. We're unconvinced that the assured deaths of Iraqis and GIs will bring about any good in the world, or improve the situation of the Iraqis. If it would, why does Bush rely on such base notions of us against them in a battle for survival? Toppling governments because we don't like them seems so.. Cold War. We tried "regime change" in Iran, Chile, and Vietnam, and left them all worst than we found them. Afghanistan can hardly yet be called a success. Americans aren't gullible or callous, but our President thinks we're both. The millions marching in America's streets prove him wrong.

Roger Smith, Havertown, Pennsylvania

I attended the Kyoto Protocol negotiations in The Hague and Germany (COP 6 and 6 1/2), and I am incredibly disappointed that the Bush administration not only pulled the United States out of the treaty, but has since done everything in his power to block any progress for the rest of the nation. He is not representing the public opinion- which is that Global Warming is a huge problem, we are a leader in the output of greenhouse gases, and we should take steps to curb the problem.

Emily Hadidian, Connecticut

In Iraq, we face a brutal dictator who runs a totalitarian state. He has killed tens of thousands of his own people, invaded another country to steal their oil, and utterly destroyed his country's natural environment. Most notably, he burned and drained hundreds of thousands of acres of marshes in the Tigris and Euphrates to exile and kill the "Marsh Arabs" who lived there - Shiite Muslims who, encouraged by then-president George H.W. Bush - rose up against Saddam in the aftermath of the 1991 Persian Gulf war. This biologically rich area has since become a desert wasteland - and is slowly being given over to oil drilling.
But George Bush rarely talks about brutalities such as these. I fear that for him, genocidal and ecologically destructive behaivior are beside the point. He wants war to punish Hussein for allegedly trying to kill George Bush Sr. in Kuwait in 1993. He wants war to give Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, Halliburton, more business as the biggest oil services company in the world - and one of the U.S. military's biggest contractors - Halliburton stands to gain more than most from first a war and then the rebuilding and expanding of Iraqi oil wells. He wants war to give oil corporations huge new fields from which to draw profits. He wants war to avenge the attacks of September 11th - America's victory in Afghanistan was not enough, as it is unlikely victory in Iraq will be enough. Most of all, he wants war because he's already committed himself to war, and he thinks pulling back now would him and the United States look ridiculous; when the French and Germans can persuade you to back down, who then will respect you?
A war with Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein might be justified if George Bush wasn't just going to turn Iraq into an American oil colony. I think there would be a case to be made for war if the United States 1) had a different government that would actually be interested in helping Iraq, Iraqis, and the Iraqi and global environment and 2) actually worked within the United Nations system, so that there was assurance that post-war Iraq would be a significantly better place than pre-war Iraq and not just an outpost of American global capitalism.
The world faces serious threats: the widespread proliferation of nuclear weapons to unstable states like North Korea, Pakistan, and India, and the continuing existence of nuclear weapons in the hands of major states; an accelerating mass extinction driven by destruction of the rainforest in the tropics and unrestrained development everywhere else; the growing threat of global climactic catastrophe, and nihilistic global terrorists willing to destroy the world to save it for a twisted utopia based on a heretical reading of Islam. These threats require bold, radical action.
We have examples of the beginning of better solutions to problems such as Saddam's threatening regime. The international community came together (albeit, too late) to help oust Slobodan Milosevic from Kosovo and overthrow his criminal, genocidal regime. Countries like France and Germany supported these moves, as they supported efforts to crush global terrorism in the war in Afghanistan. The tragedy for Iraqis who suffer under Mr. Hussein's regime is that Mr. Bush's unilateralism, heavy-handed arrogance, and narrowly selfish ambitions rightly scare and discourage former allies from joining an effort to oust Mr. Hussein. They fear that U.S. global power could be more scary than Mr. Hussein in power for a few more months. After all, U.S. control of Iraqi oil fields is likely to mean accelerated burning of Iraq's oil - which means more carbon in the atmosphere and accelerating global climate deterioration. At a time when increasing carbon emissions are plunging the world faster and faster towards global climate deterioration, the countries of the world should be hesitant to let oil companies loose on Iraq's tremendous carbon reserves. The more oil we lock up, the better clean sources of energy will look and the faster we can free ourselves and our planet from the nightmare of global climate catastrophe - a nightmare every bit as hellish as a nuclear terrorist strike.
Americans and citizens of the world critically need a leader they can trust to do good, for good reasons, and not for narrow political paybacks to political cronies. We must now focus our energies on elevating such a leader who can bring the world back to an era of mutual cooperation for peace.

Glenn Hurowitz, New York

I walked with 100,000 other American's down the streets of LA on Saturday and I can speak not only for myself but thousands of others (young and old) when I say that not only are we NOT supportive, but we are ashamed and outraged with our government. This is one of the most undemocratic, anti-environmental, dangerous and destructive administrations we have ever seen. As Bush's administration becomes more blatant in their flouting of international treaties, international opinion and consensus, more and more americans are seeing through the rhetoric and waking up to the fact that our interests are not at the heart of our government's policy. The war with Iraq is a scary attempt to control middle eastern oil supplies, not to spread the humanity of democracy to the corners of the world and stop global terrorism. In fact, the war in Iraq is the best terrorist recruitment tool I can imagine. Not to mention the many other international accords that we have flouted: the Kyoto Treaty, the Land Mine Treaty and numerous others. It scares me that we are alienating many others nations, and many other citizens across the world as we act the international bully and proceed against international opinion with destructive policies. Please realize that there are hundreds of thousands of us who are not in support of what our government is doing, we fight daily to let them know that they need to listen to the American people.

In solidarity, Cathleen Sullivan, Los Angeles, California

The American government has gone rogue. It has become so co-opted and bought off by corporate interests that America has become the epicenter of global denial and an increasingly militarized corporate power grab of the planet's remaining resources.
America has the best government that money can buy - a government by the corporations, of the corporations and for the corporations. The Bush regime itself has taken American arrogance and overt empire building to a new height as it shamelessly exploits the tragedy of 9/11 to forward the agenda of US multinationals. From unilateral war mongering to ignoring even the most modest international proposals for curbing the mounting ecological crisis, the present U.S. government has revealed themselves to be a threat to the future of life on this planet.
In response Americans from all walks of life and different communities are mobilizing. Millions of people have taken to the streets and are preparing to stop Bush's imperial fantasies with the weight of our bodies and the collective force of our organizing. Ours maybe a silent revolution for now - ignored by corporate media and neoliberal pundits, but the winds of change are once again beginning to blow across the North American heartland.
The outlines of a new American patriotism are beginning to take shape. A loyalty to the principles of justice, true democracy and ecological sanity that demands we confront the puppets and rogues who have hijacked america for their own, short-sighted ends. In communities across the land we are ratcheting up our resistance to the corporate elites and their doomsday schemes. We are building new alliances, organizing and daring to dream new dreams of a time when our American government will reflect our pride in being members of the human family and citizens of planet earth. No Blood OR Oil! Global Ecology! Global Democracy! Now!

Patrick Reinsborough, San Francisco, California

The Bush Administration does not represent me. I didn't vote for him (actually most voters didn't) but even so, he has torn the nation away from the global union, making the world into more of a US colony than a community of sovereign nations. The impending assault on Iraq, following the repudiation of so many international treaties on arms limitations, land mines, and climate change, is only possible for a rogue superpower that bears little care for the opinions of others. But of course Bush doesn't want to be run by "special interests" like 20 million protestors the world over.

Donald Brooks, San Francisco, California

It's not the popular thing to say, but the American people absolutely want war. When I ride the bus to work every morning I see people at mere mention of Iraq transformed into ravenous football hooligans foaming at the mouth with national pride at finishing what "we" (the red, white and blue team) started more than a decade ago. In a country that is by some measures more conservative than Azerbaijan and 70% of folks believe in the devil, is it any wonder "we" want to chase the devil right out of Baghdad. Then again, Išve lived in the heart of darkness (the Midwest bible-belt) and I can count on one exasperated hand the number of "bad" Americans that I have met. The American people are not a pack of bloodthirsty jackals, but they are living under the most effective means of coercion a government has ever devised. Americans have been sold a war by the government-media complex just like a Nike sweat suit off the Walmart shelf.

Matt Scott, Chicago, Illinois

It's a difficult thing to be ashamed of the country one lives in. I find myself jealous of Brazilians elatedly waving flags when their team wins the World Cup, and resentful of smug Canadian friends who proudly display their maple leaf emblem on luggage while traveling abroad. As an American, the policies of "my" government and the practices of American corporations make it impossible for me to wave an American flag with pride and a sense of civic responsibility to "my country." And as a young American activist, I am outraged that George W. Bush and the conservative business class that supports him have all but usurped "patriotism," "democracy," and "freedom" as buzzwords for the global war they're waging on human rights and the Earth itself. The disconnect between what so many Americans know to be true (that our government and corporations are running roughshod over the rights of people around the world, including most of us here in this country) and what the corporate-controlled government and media are telling us (that passive consumerism and television culture and an American empire dominated by ahandful of corporate executives and government officials is actually a GOOD THING), is growing increasingly hard to ignore. President Bush's ideas, whether regarding international affairs like War in Iraq or the abandonment of the Kyoto Protocol, or domestic concerns like civil rights, abortion rights, gun control, or environmental protection, are so far out of alignment with modern American values that I think most people in this country are in a state of mild shock. But the numbing effect of corporate media and rampant consumerism can't last forever. Americans are waking up and taking action to oppose the war in greater numbers than ever. I hope the rising tide of resistance we saw here in New York and in countless other cities and towns across the country on Feb 15 continues to grow, gain strength, and become better organized and equipped. We need all the help we can get!

Dan Firger, San Francisco, California

The Bush Administration seems to have no respect for life. Whether it is in the form of cuts to social programs, environmental safeguards, or in bombing innocent people to smithereens. President Bush and the multinational corporations that he serves do not reflect the values or nature of the vast majority of the people of the United States. The media and the government propaganda machines are playing tricks on all of us, feeding us fear, capitalizing off tragedy, and clamping down on dissent. Notice the multiplying number of local government bodies that are rejecting the rush to war through resolutions. I am proud that my city council voted to do so. That is what the grassroots are really saying in America, and not what you read in the papers. Americans have to recognize our own failure in losing control of our government as well, we are all responsible. We appreciate the help of the worldwide community in reigning in this "bull in a china shop." Please don't stop. Please continue to wage this struggle with your heart grounded in your love for humanity and the planet, and avoid the temptation to feed your anger and lose your focus. And thank you.

Joshua Martin, Bloomington, Indiana

A friend here in the States said you are interested in hearing from young Americans about the pending "war" and climate conditions. My response fits both. I am a young 51 and I find many of us who protested the Vietnam policeaction (it never was a declared war) have perhaps taken brief sabbaticals from activism or shifted focus from one front to another but still find ourselves facing the same evil. Now I am not into self flagellation. The evil I speak of lives in Washington, DC and London and Baghdad and Peking. This evil exists in Christianity and Buddhism and Nihilism. It comes from believing we are the center of the universe and our interests are paramount. George Bush and a large portion of our people are part of this world wide evil and the rest of us appreciate global peace followers and environmentalists pointing out the error of our ways.

Michael Omogrosso

It's hard to explain just how it feels to be an American visiting another country. It's hard to apologize for something you didn't do and don't want to happen. Our foreign policy has been an embarassment to any decent human being who has closely watched the patterns of behavior practiced by our security forces. Propping up dictators, deposing other dictators, and acting unilaterally with disregard and even contempt for those who voice their opposition is not how I want my country to behave. Unfortunately, here in the United States, we have the biggest cages and longest chains money can buy, so most people are content enough to remain blissfully unaware of the price of our comfort. You help pay that price when you buy American goods. I love my home, I'm proud to be an American, in spite of what some Americans do in my name. I don't want this war. Please help save my country from itself. Boycott America.

Scott Alberts, Philadephia, Pennsyvania

George W. Bush has been breaking down the American Constitution since the day the Judiciary Branch of the government decided who would be in charge of the Executive Branch, which is in direct violation of the separation of powers put in place when the three autonomous branches of government were created. He has ignored the very real and horrific signs of global warming and continues his agenda of mass oil processing and consumption. His coalition diminished our civil rights with the ill-written and hardly legal Patriot Act and then again with the Homeland Security Act. Finally, his administration has insisted on spending billions of dollars of our tax money, and not just on the war machine itself but also on the media blitzes, anti-terrorist martial law programs, and myriad of other aspects of his all out campaign to wage this war, when our schools are cutting days and the elderly and handicapped are losing housing and medical support. And WHY? To remove a man from power who was placed there by our government around 20 years ago in order to offset the highly volatile influence of the Ayatollah in the Middle East. Not all Americans have agreed with the policies of this administration or those of the past. Please don't judge us by what this illegal usurper does. Hopefully our Constitution will last long enough for us to vote him out.

Greta Camuso, Oregon

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