This post is so full of outright misinformation and vapid polemic that it is hardly even worthy of a response. But to point out one egregious fallacy, that the march was 'poorly attended': there were easily over 150,000 people there.
Park police estimated the turnout at 150,000. March organizers said 200,000. And the Associated Press estimated the crowd at 300,000. -aa On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:58 PM, John Obrien <causecollec...@msn.com>wrote: > > Having been on the National Steering Committees of the 1979 and 1987 > National Lesbian and Gay Rights Marches on Washington DC - here is my > feedback: > > > > This Oct 11, 2009 event (so called March) was poorly attended - and much > smaller compared to the previous real national marches. > > > The major reason is that it was called and controlled by three people! > There was no national organizing conference, as in the previous three > national marches (1979, 1987, 1993) that invited all to participate and to > set up a political and financial accountable organization, that was grass > roots based. The three main organizers of this 10/11/09 event who controlled > everything - were democratic party adherents, who wanted to keep this as a > lobbying/pressure group and not to let it get beyond that. They succeeded > in controlling it - but did not advance the GLBT Movement, by what they did. > > > > This so called march - which was more a staged event - was a setback - not > an advance for the GLBT Movement. Instead of following a good tradition of > having a grass roots based demorcratic decision making organization, that > was inclusive and welcoming - this top down controlled event, instead took > place. > > > > We expected many young people who never had the oportunity before to > participate in a real national GLBT March, to be lured to this event. The > three organizers counted on that. > > However, they were disappointed by the response of the larger majority of > the GLBT Community gave them. - and not because of being pro-Obama - but > because of what they were trying to do. Many long time activists and > fortunately a number of new ones, understood how undemocratic and > self-serving this event was. > > > > What I was surprised about is how the ISO and RCP added their names as > endorsers - without even thinking - was this a good thing to build the GLBT > Movement - and the best way. The ISO and RCP apparently had not thought out > a political understanding or goals to build a mass independent GLBT > Movement, but just to tail after some bourgeois democrats. > > > > As with other small sectarian sects, they apparently in supporting this > undemocratic event, counter their own little vanguard parties for people to > join, than to actually promote and build a mass independent movement. A > better course of action would be to sincerely build a mass independent > movement. Had they been seen as the best builders of promoting a real > independent mass GLBT Movement, they could become leaders of this movement > and the communities it represents. > > > > But the ISO and RCP never reached out to the previous National March > organizers or do any serious outreach to the many existing community > organizations - to analyze what was this event for and about - but instead > chased after this event, to follow the democratic party operatives and > without considering the political demands, outcome and may I mention - any > financial accountability, along with political accountability. They thought > it was great because it appeared to be protesting the Obama government - > when it actually was to only beg and lobby and promise to be loyal defenders > of that government, if some speech was made - without any concrete changes, > in including poor and working people to decision making. > > > > I saw one ISO member state they were so proud to have brought 40 buses from > New York City! Forty buses - that is two thousand people and in 2009 that > is not saying very much about good organizing! Thus instead of thousands of > buses from that city alone - forty buses and this is considered successful? > The 1993 March (before the internet) had a million participants. This one > had a small fraction of that size! > > > > Was this small Oct 11, 2009 turnout due to so many people not wanting to > protest the Obama govenrment - or just bad organizing. I believe mainly the > later. > > > > I did not attend this event in Wash DC this weekend. I watched it on CSPAN > with my partner hoping to see some break with the democratic party - but > there was none! > > > > In 1987, I led the Los Angeles Committee that brought over 30,000 people > from Los Angeles alone, to that real national march and helped to bring from > California, over a hundred thousand - which is more than what showed up in > total on this Sunday (with today's internet - that was not available 22 > years ago). > > > > Is this because support for GLBT Rights has declined - or interest in the > GLBT Movement? > > No - it is not that - so I suggest we look at the misleaders and > misorganizers of this event, as responsbile for the poor showing. Had they > instead allowed a national open organizing process for this - the march > would have taken place far differently and next year instead, with the focus > not on lobbying, as this event was. > > > > What was possibly established, by the ISO and others going to this event - > was to allow both allow left cover to the organizers, to appear progressive > and to allow any rich billionaire or another small unrepresented body in the > future, to call in name for a National March - and that is the major > disservice done by this event - to tear down the progress and tradition and > hard work done, to build a united powerful movement, that the three previous > real National Marches did - in 1979, 1987, 1993. > > > > David Mixner the main person behind this event (who just endorsed the > Republican Bloomberg for relection as mayor of New York City!) and who > worked to oppose the Single Payer health referendum in California not long > ago - was who benefited from this event. Watch the money raised from this > event and see who received funds. > > > > We heard a great deal at this Sunday event, about marriage and inclusion in > the U. S. military - but little or nothing about ending U.S. government > support to governments that murder and abuse GLBT people, or of those among > the two million in U. S. prisons, or among the poor and working people - and > the physical and psychological violence. They had one labor person from the > RWDSU who mentioned employment and housing discrimination - and the only > other speaker (Urvashi Viad) who mentioned the wars and how atttacks on > working people and the environment and homophobia need to all be struggled > against and opposed. The rest of the speakers promoted lobbying and working > inside the democratic party - which was not a very good political message > that I got from this so called march for equality. That there were not even > concrete demands but a vague equality word - took away from the three former > real national marches in 1979, 1987 and 1993 that all had specific demands. > But those were organized democratically and welcomed grass roots > involvement at all levels - unlike this event that was controlled top down > and had the ISO as cheerleaders for this dangerous departure from a hard > fought and proud hsitory of accomplishment. > > > > The tone of this march was politically more conservative than the three > previous national marches - I was embarassed about the pro-nationalist > speeches and little mention of those in the U. S. or around the world in > their daily struggles of survival against the wealthy. > > > > Is it any wonder that so many call the ISO - the International Student > Organization - when they blunder like this - tailing and following > democratic party hacks - instead of analyzing and offering real leadership? > I happen to be politically close to much of the ISO political program, but > their lack of judgement, only moves me and others further from joining them. > > > > The ISO can learn from the older generation of GLBT protestors, who > actually know how to build a mass movement - to avoid future such mistakes - > that embarass those who try to educate about the democratic party operatives > interest, in only personal and financial gain, over the interests of the > masses of GLBT people. But then they would have to learn more about the > GLBT community and work in it - and not just try to recruit a few to their > party as a great acheivement. In the long run, they will lose these same > people, they temporarily recruit, if that is all that is really offered. > > > > Not truly immersing into a movement to build and lead, but instead to just > try and recruit a few people - is what has in part led to the current > isolation of the U.S. left today - that has become cheerleaders but not > builders, of any mass movements presently today. Instead the Democratic > Party operatives keep tight control of these various peoples communities - > and this event this past Sunday in Washington DC, is just another example. > > > > But I am hopeful that the poor and oppressed will see though this - and not > follow blindly such leaders - as a "Father Gapon". Maybe the ISO can learn > to analyze and have a thought out program, with concrete actions that build > independent movements and not just tail after ones controlled by bourgois > operatives. > > > > > > John O'Brien > > > > > > > > > Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:32:20 -0500 > > From: proletarian...@gmail.com > > Subject: [Marxism] The National Equality March: A New Generation of > Protesters > > > > > > I'm surprised I haven't seen anything on the list about Sunday's > > march. This was my first march on Washington and was incredible; I was > > shocked how many (mostly young) people turned out due to sheer > > frustration with Obama and the Democrats. This is one of many openings > > for the left and a very bright spot in an otherwise dull political > > landscape. For folks in Chicago there is a follow-up meeting next week > > at the Lincoln Park Public Library. Also, Sherri Wolf will be speaking > > about her book 'Sexuality and Socialism' at the Midwest Socialist > > Conference in November. > > > > > http://socialistworker.org/2009/10/12/we-demand-full-equality > > > > http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1929747,00.html > > > > The march on Washington that gays staged Sunday on the National Mall > > drew something like 200,000 people — that's a good guess based on > > conversations with many of the organizers and local authorities, > > although estimates of Mall crowds are notoriously unreliable. But one > > number you can take to the bank: the average age of those backstage > > who wore walkie-talkie headsets and staff badges, the men (and a few > > women) who were behind much of the organizing effort, wasn't over 30. > > And that, by far, was the oddest thing about the march: Why would a > > generation wired to their mobile phones and Facebook accounts nearly > > from birth want to resurrect a form of political expression as old and > > musty as a mass gathering? > > > > > Right then I thought of a conversation I had had with Ting, the young > > private-equity associate and march organizer. He had told me that he > > didn't know that in 1993, Mixner — the gay activist and friend of Bill > > Clinton's who helped agitate for this year's march — had been arrested > > outside the White House for opposing Clinton's infamous "Don't ask, > > don't tell" policy for gays in the military, the same policy that gays > > are now impatiently waiting on Obama to overturn. "A lot of us were 9 > > or 10 years old in 1993," Ting had said to me. I wondered if today's > > 9- and 10-year-old gays and lesbians would remember this march. Ting > > and his friends have a lot of work ahead of them to make sure they do. > > > > ________________________________________________ > YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. > Send list submissions to: Marxism@lists.econ.utah.edu > Set your options at: > http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/options/marxism/amaral1871%40gmail.com > -- "A slave-owner who through cunning and violence shackles a slave in chains, and a slave who through cunning and violence breaks the chains - let not the contemptible eunuchs tell us that they are equals before a court of morality!" --Leon Trotsky, "Their Morals and Ours," 1938 ________________________________________________ YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. 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