LOS ANGELES
'Stop the war' wins the day in hot debate
By John
Parker
Los Angeles
One of the largest teach-ins yet on the U.S. war against
Yugoslavia was held here May 23 at the Leo Baeck Temple. The
audience showed the strongest support for those speakers who
rebutted U.S. State Department and NATO lies about the current
war.
The meeting was sponsored by KPFK, the Los Angeles affiliate
of Pacifica Radio, Southern California Americans for Democratic
Action, and the Nation Institute. Pacifica broadcast the
teach-in nationwide to counter the corporate media's
willingness to report the government position without question.
What many who attended seem to find shocking is the acceptance
of government lies by some deemed progressives, along with
their publications.
The loudest applause and cheering was reserved for those
with a clear voice against the U.S. bombing and war against
Yugoslavia. Richard Becker of the International Action Center
got a standing ovation when he not only exposed government
propaganda but called on everyone to support anti-war
activities like the June 5 demonstrations.
"Given the record of U.S. human rights violations in the
world," said Becker, "can anyone believe that Clinton, Albright
or Gen. Wesley Clark wake up in the morning asking: `Is someone
suffering somewhere in the world?' No, the Pentagon is not a
human relief agency. And when human rights are given as a
reason for intervention, you can be sure there is another
agenda.
"The real reason," Becker continued, "is domination of this
key strategic region as well as setting a precedent for further
aggression around the world."
Not all the speakers were critical of the war, and some,
like Ian Williams, UN correspondent of the Nation magazine,
were booed when they repeated the U.S./NATO arguments for
intervention.
Those who did come out to end the bombing, however, included
members of the liberal political establishment like George
Kenney, former Yugoslav desk officer for the U.S. State
Department who is currently a consultant on the Balkans and
European security; the Rev. Jesse Jackson; Dennis Kucinich,
U.S. Congress (D-OH); Lila Garrett, president of Southern
California Americans for Democratic Action; Blase Bonpane,
director and CEO at the Office of the Americas; and Raoul
O'Connell, co-founder, UCLA Student Coalition Against the
War.
James Lafferty, executive director of the National Lawyers
Guild of Los Angeles, accused the U.S. of war crimes. "General
Clark admitted that the goal of this war is to eliminate the
infrastructure of Yugoslavia. This proves our intention to
commit genocide because you can't expect a civilian population
to survive under those conditions."
Referring to the upcoming June 5 protest and march against
the bombing and war, Lafferty urged: "We must move from a
teach-in to speaking out on the street. The war in Vietnam did
not stop from the actions of any U.S. presidents but from the
fighting of the Vietnamese people and the powerful movements
here at home against the war."
Many speakers also endorsed the June 5 demonstrations to
take place simultaneously at the Pentagon and in San
Francisco.
One speaker made reference to the U.S.-assisted massacre by
Croatian forces of Serbian civilians. William Dorich, Serbian
journalist and author of the book "Kosovo," asked, "If America
supports this Clinton doctrine [to bomb Serbia], will the U.S.
also bomb Croatia to guarantee that 600,000 Serbs get to go
back to their homes, too?"
Dorich blasted the demonization aimed at Serbian people and
listed some of the places targeted and destroyed by U.S./ NATO
bombs. They include 400 industrial complexes--throwing 700,000
people out of work--27 schools and 12 hospitals.
Watch out for relief agencies
Another speaker cited the collusion with the U.S. war drive
by relief agencies seeking increased funds. "Be very careful
who you send money or clothes to," warned Richard Walden,
president and founder of the relief agency Operation USA.
Walden said that many agencies claiming to help Albanians
were being given large sums of money by the U.S. government to
say things that were not true. "We shouldn't take their funds.
In the relief business there is no regulation.... Some relief
agencies actually advocated the bombing. Be very careful, some
of the large groups are wallowing in cash."
The loudest booing, heckling and condemnation was endured by
Ian Williams, who supported the war and assumed the stories
coming out of the U.S. State Department were true. He also
didn't appear to mind the civilian slaughter taking place
there, treating it in a jovial style.
The audience was asked to be polite and respect the speaker.
But to some, whose relatives are targets of the bombs, it
seemed like a lot to ask.
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