Tony Kushner Is Wrong: Or, Why I Never Throw Anything Away

This is from my Working Assets bill. "'Our despair,' Tony Kushner writes, 'is a lie we tell ourselves.' The truth..." continues the bill, "is that we can change the world when we do two things: hope and act. For instance: Ukrainians took to the streets and overturned a rigged election. Americans did not, and here we are."

Oh yeah? Taking to the streets works? Well then let me try a date out on you: February 15, 2003. You remember it, right? Right?

February 15, 2003, was the day that ten million people gathered in cities worldwide, including the United States, to protest the coming Iraq war. It was the largest demonstration on record in human history. It...did...zilch.

Now of course, the Ukrainians, once they took to the streets, stayed there. Perhaps this was the February 10 Million's mistake: they went home. Perhaps if they had not only showed up, but stayed there for four weeks, things would have been different. But...probably not. After all, as has subsequently been made abundantly clear, the plans were already in place. And our godlike Bush Administration lords and masters can't let a little trifle like the global will of the people get in the way of their plans. Can they.

Yes, hope and act. But don't fool yourself, either.