U.S. troops out now!

As anti-war mobilizations are building toward the early fall, a pattern is taking shape: Activists are merging the struggle against the wars abroad with the struggles against the war directed against the poor and workers at home.

The main issues raised so far have been health care, some of the momentum impelled by the release of Michael Moore’s documentary “SiCKO”; the question of relief for oppressed communities; and, following the collapse of the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, a push to stop war funding and start repairing the domestic infrastructure.

Anti-war forces in North America have continued mobilizing against the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and against U.S. President George W. Bush, and the governments of Canada and Mexico.

Protests planned include a week of action around a security summit Aug. 20-22 in Montebello, Quebec; a majority African-American protest in Newark, N.J., on Aug. 25; and a New England mobilization on the same day at the Bush family home in Kennebunkport, Me.

Organizers from the Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) have focused attention on the expected “debate” over war funding in the U.S. Congress in mid-to-late September. TONC has called an encampment for Sept. 22-28 and mass marches for Sept. 29 in Washington and Los Angeles as the arguments in Congress are expected to climax.

Canadian President Stephen Harper, Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Bush are meeting Aug. 20-22, just 90 miles from Montreal on the Quebec-Ontario border for a discussion of their so-called Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP). The last big agreement between the ruling classes of the three countries introduced NAFTA, which eliminated job security in Canada and the U.S. and drove millions of Mexican peasants off the land, giving them the choice of emigrating without papers or starving.

Anti-globalization, pro-socialist and other progressive forces in Canada and Quebec are mobilizing to protest despite the expected presence of thousands of police. Canada’s heavy participation in the war on Afghanistan and its military’s growing casualties have aroused strong anti-war sentiments.

The Peace and Justice Coalition—a united front of 120 mostly African-American and other people-of-color community organizations—has called an anti-war protest for Aug. 25 in Newark, N.J. Polls show that an estimated 90 percent of African Americans oppose the war and the Bush administration, which is reflected in the Pentagon’s growing difficulty in attracting Black youths as new recruits despite the absence of opportunities for them as civilians.

The Peace and Justice call stated clearly: “In the U.S., another type of war is going on, a war on our communities. The Bush administration, while increasing war spending, has decreased domestic spending for education, health care, housing, employment, veterans’ care and other social programs.” This call is a strong appeal to stop the war against oppressed communities at home, a demand that the anti-war movement as a whole needs to take up.

The Northeast organizers are seeking out Bush and his ruling-class cohorts in their lair at Kennebunkport, Me., where many of the rich have their family estates. This activist effort is drawing support throughout New England.

Jamilla El-Shafei, an anti-war activist in Kennebunkport, told media that Cindy Sheehan, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia plan to attend the event, which will be a “symbolic protest” because Bush isn’t expected to be there.

While protests have been called for throughout the congressional debate in September, the culminating activities are expected to be from Sept. 22-29.

TONC organizer Maggie Vascassenno reports that Los Angeles mobilizers for Sept. 22-29 held a meeting Aug. 4 at the Sugar Shack, an artist collective. “Organizers from the March 25 Coalition, Bayan USA, Code Pink, Latinos Against the War, the International Action Center and the American Friends Service Committee participated and joined committees to plan the encampment and demonstration,” she said.

The group called a news conference for Aug. 9 at the downtown Federal Building demanding money for “bridges not war,” said Vascassenno. “Activists took leaflets and posters, and mailings and phone-banking are scheduled. There’s a potentially huge health care rally sponsored by SEIU Aug 11 where we will distribute the SiCKO leaflet.” This is a TONC leaflet linking the war costs to the lack of adequate health care insurance.

TONC issued a statement on the cost of the war and the great needs of the crumbling U.S. infrastructure on Aug. 4. At the same time, an anti-war coalition in Minneapolis, where the bridge collapse cost at least five lives, held a protest raising the same issues while Bush was visiting the collapsed bridge area.

TONC organizer Frank Neisser told Workers World: “There are now 51 organizing centers that we expect will organize at least 65 buses to come on Sept. 29. There are also now at least 1,250 organizational and individual endorsers of the call.

“Some of the new endorsers include World Can’t Wait, the Green Party of the U.S., Not In Our Name, former Rep. Cynthia McKinney, Michael Parenti, MECAWI, Charles Barron, Ramsey Clark, Code Pink, After Downing Street, Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace and Ron Kovic.”