In the countdown to the Feb. 19 “Rage Against the War Machine” demonstration in Washington, D.C. and in many other cities, there continues to be a lot of media commentary both for and against. Among those supporting the demo, many of whom plan to attend, there is a recognition that it represents something new—a coming together of “right” and “left” forces, that for some people who are too fixed in their ideological ways, or worse, is too difficult to grasp.
Very useful is Ron Paul’s Feb. 13 article, “How We Can Stop the Coming War with Russia.” He warns that “we face the once-unimaginable prospect of a direct military conflict with nuclear-armed Russia over Ukraine,” that has brought a “beyond Left-Right coalition” into being after many years of slumbering, and will be visible in Washington on Feb. 19. Paul, who will be a featured speaker at the rally, recalls the Iraq War days, when conservatives in the Congress like the late Walter Jones worked with progressives like Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Rep. Jim McGovern to produce the “improbable” coalition of left and right uniting to oppose the war. (http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2023/february/13/how-we-can-stop-the-coming-war-with-russia/ )
Also hard hitting on the nuclear war threat is peace activist John Walsh’s “First National Rally Against Ukraine War, Threat of Armageddon, Feb. 19” yesterday on Antiwar.com. He warns, “Given the proximity of nuclear Armageddon, the reaction that sanity dictates has now materialized for the first time. On Feb. 19 in Washington, D.C., a demonstration against the war, ‘Rage Against War,’ will take place, with sister rallies occurring in cities distant from D.C., like San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Minneapolis, Ann Arbor, and others.
“But its organization and composition represent a radical departure from the peace movements of the last 40 years. The organizational framework for Feb. 19 has leapt the bounds of conventional political discourse.” (https://original.antiwar.com/john-v-walsh/2023/02/14/feb-19-national-rally-against-ukraine-war-and-threat-of-nuclear-holocaust/ )
