Dear Jane --
This edition, we all take to task the laughable Progressives For Obama. You were, of course, a part of that group. When working on that piece, it was asked if the article should mention that? We (Ava and C.I.) decided we'd address it via an open letter to you.
First, caught you and loved you in 33 Variations. Congratulations on the well deserved Tony nomination. Looking forward to seeing you Et si on vivait tous ensemble -- your first French film since Godard's Tout va bien.
And while you've been busy, we do believe -- as you often noted after so many speeches -- in holding you to what you promise.
Jane, do you remember these words?
I haven't spoken at an antiwar rally in 34 years, because I've been afraid that because of the lies that have been and continue to be spread about me and that war, that they would be used to hurt this new antiwar movement, but silence is no longer an option. My daughter, who is here with me today -- come here -- she was a little girl when she would come with me to the anti-Vietnam War protests. She's here today with her two little children, my grandchildren. I'm very proud that they're here, but I'm so sad that we still have to do this; that we did not learn the lessons from the Vietnam War; that we've made the same mistakes, blindness to the realities on the ground, hubris and arrogance in dealing with a people and culture far older than we are; and that we understand so little, carelessness and thoughtlessness in our approach to rebuilding a country we've destroyed, allowing billions of dollars to be stolen, squandered at the hands of private contractors, just as this administration has done in our own gulf in the post-Katrina era. So, thank you. Thank you for being here, and we'll continue to be here for as long as necessary. God bless.
Do you remember those words?
That's you speaking at the DC rally January 27, 2007.
"We'll continue to be here for as long as necessary."
Jane, the Iraq War has not ended. And you, of all people, know far better than anyone that once a US war officially 'ends,' the suffering for the occupied country does not. (An Introduction To The Enemy is sadly not available on DVD.)
"We'll continue to be here for as long as necessary."
Did it stop being necessary?
We're not begrudging you an acting career, we're not begrudging you a fine romance. We're just aware that the Iraq War continues under Barack Obama and we haven't heard one word from you calling that out?
Did the Iraq War become better because the Sandy Dennis-like speaking style of Barack Obama replaced the faux southern drawl of George the Bully Boy Bush?
Was it really all just a dialectical opposition?
The Status Of Forces Agreement is, first of all and most importantly, unconstitutional. That's not just our opinion or just the opinions of US House Reps Bill Delahunt, Barbara Lee, etc. It's also the opinion of Joe Biden and Barack Obama. Or was.
When campaigning for the White House.
Mere weeks after the election, they backed off from that stance.
It's unconstitutional and to allow it to stand is to set the framework for future presidents to ram through treaties without the advice and consent of the Congress.
The Status Of Forces Agreement is also a document Bush pushed through. Little Kool-Aid sniffer Raed Jarar cheers the document but then he doesn't know the first damn thing about the Constitution.
Those cheering the SOFA on better be willing to praise Bush because that's his document.
We've never praised Bush and certainly won't start doing so now.
We're also aware that the SOFA can be extended or replaced with another agreement. The UN mandate for the occupation, for example, was replaced with the SOFA.
Even if it stands and we don't consider all the US service members that will be stationed at "Little DC" (as the US State Department's Baghdad compound/embassy is beginning to be known), the Iraq War damage continues and continues for years. Vietnam has still not fully recovered all these decades now. The same will be true of Iraq.
"We'll continue to be here for as long as necessary."
We'd argue that not only is it necessary to "continue to be here" but it will be for many, many years to come.
Peace,
Ava and C.I.
P.S. Illustration by Isaiah.