SB 924 - Out of Iraq Ballot Measure in California - It Means Something!

Written by: Patrick Briggs on Sep 5, 2007 6:13 PM EDT

Why “Vote Us Out of Iraq” on the California Ballot Makes Sense to Me

By Patrick Briggs
Chapter Leader
Pasadena Democracy for America

The California State Senate last week approved an advisory measure that would ask California voters in February whether President Bush should withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, sending the bill to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature. On the surface, this looks like one more non-binding effort to end this war. Pundits and opinion leaders (conventional wisdom) are quick to say it means nothing.

As activists against this war from the beginning my wife, Maddie, and I think otherwise. We’ve been told by opinion leaders and pundits for too long how to think. Here in Pasadena, we’ve been told we are unpatriotic. We’ve been told by neighborhood busybodies that our signs or our actions are “unseemly”. We have had objects thrown at us from passing cars. We have gotten threats. We’ve had our home vandalized. Nobody told us it would be easy to stand up for what’s right.

Nobody told us that taking a public stand against this would be effective either. In fact, conventional wisdom has said from the beginning that protesting this war on street corners or putting signs on one’s property means nothing. For over 3 years we’ve defied this conventional wisdom in Pasadena. It means something to take on the City of Pasadena with the ACLU of Southern California’s support over a sign ordinance that, when enforced 2 years ago, prohibited our political free speech to stand against this war. We won that battle and gave other like-minded people hope, not just on the free speech issue but on standing publicly against this war of occupation in Iraq.

It means something to lead protests too. We’ve been doing that for 3 years, sometimes in concert with Moveon.org, and other times on our own. We’ve been consistent in holding these protests in our neighborhood, as opposed to the sterile confines of a downtown area. The corner of Hill and Orange Grove has become known in the Pasadena community as a friendly, safe place to bring oneself, family or friends in public opposition to the Iraq War. What started out as only a handful of neighbors has grown in size. We have also seen an increase in the number of similar protest held within the Pasadena community. What once got little notice is now anticipated – “when’s the next protest going to be”.

I mention Maddie and my public efforts to stand in opposition to the Iraq War because they do have meaning. We are part of something bigger than ourselves. It is something that is empowering to our neighbors in Pasadena. No one person’s efforts can be pointed to for the change in opinion our community has seen on the war in the last three years.

We’ve tried though, and so have others. To quote Nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech of 1994:

“And, as we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others!”

It’s the same with this advisory measure, SB 924. With the passage of this historic measure, people like us will have a state-wide, and very concrete means of expressing our stance against this war. We will have a chance to do, at the macro-level, what many progressives like us have been doing for years at the micro-level, all over California. The California legislature has done something fine in passing SB 924 and Governor Schwarzenegger must sign it.

It’s amazing what a small group who feels empowered can do! It’s also amazing what a state like ours can do. SB 924 means something!

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
—Margaret Mead

Patrick Briggs is the Chapter Leader of Pasadena Democracy for America (http://www.pasadenadfa.org.

 THANKS to California Progress Report (http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/ ) for publishing this essay!

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Location: Pasadena, CA 91104