Written by Alan McConnell   

Todd Gitlin says it's dead, Medea Benjamin says, not really. I say: so-called anti-war activists are negligent/indolent.

We start with a fact: most USAns are against both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. That has been true since Dubya started them, and continues true today. As Todd Gitlin points out, there were huge demonstrations against these wars. But they did no good. There have been follow-up demonstrations, with decreasing attendance and minimal press coverage. And they have done no good. So most people have given up demonstrating, since most people are sane. But the absence of demonstrations does not mean that people have switched their opinions, or are even reconciled to the wars.

And what do the "anti-war activists" do? Some call for more demos; there is, we hear, a demo planned for Washington sometime in October. And many sit behind their computers and write articles either in adjuration (Medea Benjamin) or in despair (Todd Gitlin). Gosh, the number of sites! Warisacrime, codepink, wethepeoplenow, peaceoftheaction, velvetrevolution, unitedfor peace, votersforpeace ... that's just a few.

A few of us in the D.C. area do something different. First, we go out to farmers markets, or subway stops, or other venues where there are lots of people, and we sell our elegant "No Afghan War" buttons. We charge a dollar; the buttons, in lots of 1000, cost less than a third of that. So our profits are substantial. I myself bring in between $25 and $40 per hour.

What do we do with the profits? We buy our GORGEOUS yard signs: "No War in Afghanistan", or "End These Wars". They cost us $3.60 apiece, but because of our button-selling profits, we can and do give them away Free to a Good Yard. We knock on doors, usually choosing yarded houses along heavily trafficked streets, offering the signs, and we get lots of takers. My usual acceptance rate, in an hour of work, along a street length of 200 yards, is between 4 and 8 signs.

For pictures of buttons/signs, and more information, visit www.waifllc.org .

Those readers familiar with political campaigns will be very familiar with the above-described tactics. To them I should point out that this work is easier, because everyone understands the Afghanistan issue, and 80% in the D.C. area are against these wars.

Now let me justify my assertion of the first paragraph, that so-called anti-war activists are negligent/indolent. I, with occasional help from two or three others, have been doing this since January 2009, starting as Obama was inaugurated. Working two or three hours a week, as described above, I've brought in over $4500 (at the rate of $25/hour, as described above). We've got almost 1,000 signs accepted, all over the D.C. area, mostly in clumps, as described above. But we can't find people to help with this project!

Suppose we had ten people working on button-selling. There are lots of farmers markets, lots of Metro stops in the D.C. area. If ten people each worked one hour a week, that would be $250 per week; two weeks of work would be more than enough for an order of new signs. If ten more people knocked on doors -- again, one hour a week -- we'd get 40 signs per week accepted, 400 in ten weeks. But getting this score of people to volunteer -- one hour a week -- is, seemingly, impossible.

Worse: we've begged people like Code Pink, and Washington Peace Center, and Peace Action, and Vets for Peace: please put out in your mailings that these signs are available for free, and we will deliver. But they refuse. I think this is astounding, and I claim I've established my assertions of negligence/indolence.

Our experience has only been in the D.C. area. But I wager that what we do could be replicated almost anywhere in the U.S. The button-selling brings in money, and also grows the number of activists; for is it not at least incipient activism to wear our elegant buttons, or put them on the backpack or tote bag? And if your area is too urban, or too rural, for yard signs, what about using your profits for radio spots, or ads on buses? But you gotta get your helpers before your endeavors can become successful! And this is the one thing I don't know how to do. Sigh.

Alan McConnell, in Silver Spring, MD