WHEN I FIRST SAW GILLIAN RUSSOM, she was standing on the back of a flatbed truck in downtown Los Angeles, preparing to address a crowd of anti-war protestors. The first thought that crossed my mind was, “what is that little girl doing up on the stage?”

But it turns out that Gillian, the spokesperson for the Los Angeles chapter of the International Socialist Organization, is no “little girl.” Her chapter of the ISO was one of the sponsors of Saturday’s anti-war rally in Los Angeles, where she had the "pole position" as one of the final people to address the crowd of about two thousand demonstrators preparing to march through the heart of downtown LA.

Much like her fellow socialist Rebecca Anshell had done two months earlier in San Diego, Gillian outlined her organization’s ideas to help “end the occupation” in Iraq.

…The people who are going to bring an end to this occupation are not the politicians of (the Democratic or Republican) parties, but the people just like us here, and around the world, who are fed up and disgusted with this war. I know you can feel powerless sometimes… but remember that not too long ago a peoples’ movement here helped to stop the war in Vietnam, and forced the government to bring the troops home. We can do it again!

The Iraqi people have shown their willingness to resist under great odds. So have soldiers like Camilo Mejia, who was just sentenced to a year of hard labor for refusing to go back to Iraq. Now it’s our turn. We have a huge responsibility – let’s get out there and rebuild this movement, step by step, until Iraqis can determine their own future, and all our troops are home!

Indeed, Gillian and her comrades aren’t simply advocating for peace – they are actively working to bring about an American defeat in Iraq, using the Vietnam War as a template. They believe that by holding demonstrations against the war, encouraging soldiers to refuse to fight, and supporting the Iraqi resistance, they can help “defeat the US war machine.”

So, you might be wondering, what does a young woman like Gillian do for a living?

She’s a high school teacher. In fact, she’s an active member of the United Teachers of Los Angeles, and Progressive Educators for Action.

After the march, I found Gillian in front of the ISO booth. “I heard you speak before the march,” I told her. “So you’re a teacher?”

“Yeah! I teach high school history.”

“Oh? I studied history in college. Where do you teach?”

“Roosevelt High – it’s in East LA. The classrooms are so crowded… You know, if you like history, you should definitely come to our meeting this Thursday. We’re going to talk about what the anti-war movement can learn from Vietnam.” She pressed a flyer into my hands.

VIETNAM*
*When the US War Machine Was Beaten
___________________________________
30 years ago, three things defeated the US war machine in Vietnam:
*A determined national liberation struggle in Vietnam
*A historic revolt within the US armed forces
*The anti-war and other political movements at home

…What lessons do we need to draw from the experience of Vietnam for OUR movement today? Join in a discussion hosted by the LA branch of the ISO. What we do now matters for the future course of this war, and for the politician’s never-ending “war on terrorism.”

To underscore the point, the flyer featured a photograph of a helicopter preparing to lift off from the roof of the US Embassy as Saigon fell, in 1975.

(If you’re interested in this sort of thing, you can attend their meeting on Thursday, June 10, 7:00pm at Señor Fish Restaurant on the corner of First and Alameda Streets in Los Angeles; or drop in at any of the regular meetings of the ISO in your local area).

I thanked Gillian for the flyer. “So, do you try to get your students involved in activism?”

"Oh, definitely! I teach the required World History course, but I also teach an elective course on Revolutionary History. Those students are really receptive to new ideas. We cover the Russian Revolution, Chinese Revolution, French Revolution, Mexican Revolution…”

“What about the American Revolution?”

“Oh, they cover that in US History,” she replied, dismissively. “Hey, you should read this article in the Socialist Worker on this so-called turnover of sovereignty in Iraq.” She opened the newspaper, pointing to an article titled “What the US has in store for Iraq.”

“Thanks. So, are there any other teachers in your group?”

“Of course!” She pointed to a man standing a few yards away. “My colleague Randy Childs even wrote an article in this newspaper!” She pointed to an article about a group of Los Angeles teachers picketing a school board meeting. "You want to buy a copy? It’s only a dollar!

“Sure, why not?” I forked over a buck.

Later, sitting in the shade of a tree a block away, I perused my copy of the Socialist Worker. Under a section titled “Where We Stand,” I found this interesting tidbit:

Reforms within the capitalist system cannot put an end to oppression and exploitation. Capitalism must be overthrown...

Do you know who is teaching your children?

Ronald Wilson Reagan, 1911-2004

From his final public speech, at the 1992 Republican Convention:

My fellow citizens… I want you to know that I have always had the highest respect for you, for your common sense and intelligence and for your decency. I have always believed in you and in what you could accomplish for yourselves and for others.

And whatever else history may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears, to your confidence rather than your doubts. My dream is that you will travel the road ahead with Liberty's lamp guiding your steps and Opportunity's arm steadying your way.

My fondest hope for each one of you -- and especially for the young people here -- is that you will love your country, not for her power or wealth, but for her selflessness and her idealism. May each of you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make the world a little better for your having been here.

May all of you as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek divine guidance, and never lose your natural, God-given optimism.

And finally, my fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for America and every evening bring us closer to that Shining City upon a Hill.

Before I go, I would like to ask the person who has made my life's journey so meaningful, someone I have been so proud of through the years, to join me. Nancy…

My fellow Americans, on behalf of both of us, goodbye, and God bless each and every one of you, and God bless this country we love.

Goodnight, Gipper.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO today, the Chinese army massacred hundreds of young protestors in Beijing's historic Tiananmen Square.

Remember.

NICK COHEN observes the rise of Respect, a political party uniting elements of the radical left with the reactionary right in Britain.

The anti-war movement wasn't a simple repetition of the old story of the politically naive being led by the nose by sly operators. The far left was becoming the far right. It had gone as close to supporting Ba'athist fascism as it dared and had formed a working alliance with the Muslim Association of Britain, which, along with the usual misogyny and homophobia of such organisations, also believed that Muslims who decided that there was no God deserved to die for the crime of free thought.

[…]

The price you pay when you ally yourself with religious fundamentalists is a downgrading of the aspirations of women and gays. The Muslim Association of Britain, the British branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that Galloway was a man it could do business with when he told the Independent that "abortion is morally and ethically wrong". These comments, the association said, as well as Galloway's "statements on faith and God in the same interview, will surely be welcomed by British Muslims who see Respect as a real alternative to the main political parties".

As for gays, well, they are being told that they must know their place. A few weeks ago, there was a nasty incident when members of Peter Tatchell's OutRage! group joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration. Their placards read: "Israel: stop persecuting Palestine. Palestine: stop persecuting queers". The slogans had been inspired by the arrest and torture of Palestinian gays by Hamas and Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. When the demonstration went into Trafalgar Square, the gay protesters were surrounded by an angry crowd of Islamic fundamentalists, Anglican priests and members of the SWP, and were variously denounced as "racists", "liars" and "Zionists". Say that Palestinians should be freed from theocratic tyranny as well as Israeli occupation and you're an American, or, worse, a Jew.

This isn’t just happening in Britain, however. In a quest to broaden their membership, American anti-war groups have accepted into their ranks some groups that are decidedly illiberal in their politics.

Recent rallies in my hometown of San Diego have seen banners calling for an end to the occupation of Afghanistan, speakers calling for solidarity with the Iraqi resistance, and even a battle cry for communist revolution within the United States. Apologetics for tyrants like Saddam and terrorist groups like Hamas are common. Palestinian flags are the protestors’ favorite.

The anti-war movement in America isn’t just pacifist Quakers and liberals ashamed of prisoner abuses at Abu Ghraib. Increasingly, it has become a front for those who are cheering for the downfall of western civilization.

As my friend Glenn is fond of saying: “They’re not anti-war, they’re just on the other side.”

SPIRIT OF AMERICA now has a form for you to register as a volunteer.

When American citizens of good will look at Iraq today, the most poignant question heard is: "What can I do?"

At the Spirit of America we answer that question not with rhetoric, but with action. Our answer is direct aid to the people of Iraq.

Working closely with the United States Marines, the Spirit of America finds real needs of real people and fills them; quickly, efficiently, and without bureaucratic log jams. By matching money and material directly to specific programs, the Spirit of America has proven itself to be the leader in direct action that makes a difference on the ground and in peoples' lives in Iraq. Right now. Today.

Building on past successes, the Spirit of America is now prepared to expand these efforts.

To do this, we need one thing: YOU.

So what are you waiting for?

THE BATTLE OF MIDWAY began sixty-two years ago today, when Admiral Yamamoto's planes bombed the American naval facility on this small atoll in the middle of the Pacific.

When the battle finally ended three days later, the Japanese had lost four main aircraft carriers, a heavy cruiser, 332 aircraft, and over 2,500 men. The Americans had lost the carrier Yorktown, the destroyer Hammann, 147 aircraft, and 307 men. It was the first major US victory in the Second World War, and a blow from which the Japanese Empire would never recover.

Read more here.

THE FIRST PRIVATE SPACECRAFT will rocket into outer space on June 21, TechNewsWorld reports.

The privately developed rocket plane is set to be released from its companion craft, known as White Knight, and then climb to 50,000 feet over the Mojave Desert before it fires its rocket motor for about 80 seconds. SpaceShipOne will reach Mach 3 speed in its vertical climb to the goal height of 62 miles (100 km).

I call shotgun!

BLACKFIVE has a collection of MilBlogger essays and stories commemorating the sixtieth anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy.

PRESIDENT BUSH presented a four-part plan for winning the War on Terror Wednesday during a graduation address at the US Air Force Academy.

1. Take the Fight to the Enemy:

With all the skill of our law enforcement, all the stealth of our special forces, and all the global reach of our air power, we will strike the terrorists before they can strike our people. The best way to protect America is to stay on the offensive.

2. Deny Safe Havens:

I have set a clear doctrine that the sponsors of terror will be held equally accountable for the acts of terrorists. Regimes in Iraq and Afghanistan learned that providing support and sanctuary to terrorists carries with it enormous costs -- while Libya has discovered that abandoning the pursuit of weapons of mass murder has opened a better path to relations with the free world.

3. Prevent Proliferation:

We have joined with 14 other nations in the Proliferation Security Initiative to interdict -- on sea, on land, or in the air -- shipments of weapons of mass destruction, components to build those weapons, and the means to deliver them. Our country must never allow mass murderers to gain hold of weapons of mass destruction. We will lead the world and keep unrelenting pressure on the enemy.

4. Promote Democracy:

The terrorist movement feeds on the appearance of inevitability. It claims to rise on the currents of history, using past America withdrawals from Somalia and Beirut to sustain this myth and to gain new followers. The success of free and stable governments in Afghanistan and Iraq and elsewhere will shatter the myth and discredit the radicals. And as the entire region sees the promise of freedom in its midst, the terrorist ideology will become more and more irrelevant, until that day when it is viewed with contempt or ignored altogether.

Many people in the United States and around the world view President Bush with fear and suspicion. No doubt they will find faults with this plan, and attack it with vigor.

For them, I have but one question:

What is your alternative strategy?

CIA DIRECTOR GEORGE TENET has resigned for "personal reasons," President Bush announced Thursday morning.

Tenet will remain at the helm of the CIA until mid-July, at which time deputy director John McLaughlin will step in as acting director.

Let the spin begin...

BOIFROMTROY has a roundup of reactions to the news.

SCOTT OTT reports that some are raising questions about Tenet's alleged resignation.

THE CORNER is hosting speculation on Tenet's ultimate replacement.