World Can’t Wait – Movie showing & discussion: Hitler: The Rise of Evil

Thursday, August 23rd at 6:00 pm
MLK Labor Center/1199, 310 West 43rd St, 7th Floor

With the government sanctioning of torture, massive wire-taps, a recent “Executive Order” to declare martial law when they deem it necessary, many people are rightly concerned and debating the issue of fascism in America. As the World Can’t Wait Call points out:

“People look at all this and think of Hitler - and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance.”

Much can be learned from historical experience. In that spirit, instead of our regular organizing meeting, this week NYC World Can’t Wait will be showing and discussing the second part of Hitler: The Rise of Evil. The movie opens with a quote from Edmond Burke, which provides a theme for the whole series: “The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing.”




Hitler: The Rise of Evil was originally aired in the U.S. as a CBC two-part mini-series in 2003. However, Ed Gernon, the longtime head of the movie and miniseries division of the Canadian-based production company that produced the mini-series for CBS, was fired after an interview with him in TV Guide reported:

"’It basically boils down to an entire nation gripped by fear, who ultimately chose to give up their civil rights and plunged the whole world into war. I can't think of a better time to examine this history than now,’ Gernon said. Gernon tells the upcoming TV Guide that he, [actress Julianna] Margulies and director Christian Duguay believe it's a good idea to look at the Bush White House through the prism of . . . Germany's genocidal psychopath."

Despite being a powerful production with a star-studded cast, including Robert Carlyle as Hitler, Julianna Margules, Liev Schreiber, Mathew Modine and Peter O’toole, since 2003 Hitler: The Rise of Evil has not been available in the U.S. – the copy presented Thursday by World Can’t Wait was obtained from Canada.

Due to the length of the mini-series, and our desire to have some discussion afterwards, we are only going to be showing the second part of the mini-series, and not the part on Hitler’s childhood and early development, to focus on the parts showing his rise to power. We encourage people to come and see the movie, and join discussion afterwards. The whole DVD will be available for “house party” showings in people’s homes, community centers, churches and schools. Contact us.

See you Thursday!

Photos from Saturday's Washington Hgts anti-war march

Here are some photos from the march.

Declare It Now: Wear Orange! Drive Out the Bush Regime!

The urgent color of orange -- the color that has been assigned to those detained and tortured with no due process -- must become the color of a gathering sentiment to end the Bush regime and reverse its program.
Think of the millions of people in this country who are deeply distressed over the direction in which the Bush regime is dragging the country - and the world…
All the people who are outraged over the way in which this regime is still so arrogantly seeking to bludgeon into submission people in the Middle East, and throughout the world, while trampling on the rights of the people in the U.S. itself...
All the people who care about the future of humanity and the planet we live on, and who recognize the many ways in which this is increasingly in peril…
All the people who are stirred with a profound restlessness by these feelings but are held back by the fear that they are alone and powerless; or who say that they wish something could be done to stop and reverse this whole disastrous course, but nothing will make a difference; or who hope that somehow the Democrats will do something to change this, when everyday it becomes more clear that they will not.
If the Bush program is not massively repudiated through impeachment, then everything he has set into motion will continue under the next president. If you want the torture, the detentions and secret prisons, NSA spying on the public to stop; If you are worried about the future of habeas corpus and civil rights, and refuse to accept the creeping obliteration of secular society, the rights of women, science, reason and the freedom to dissent, then it’s time to stand up and Declare It Now. By impeachment, resignation or indictment, this regime must be held accountable for the crimes they have committed. They must be driven from power!
What if out of this deep reservoir of people, there was a way to break people out of this conundrum where millions are furious but still paralyzed, a way to make visible what is objectively already there – but frustrated and diffuse without a vehicle that really measures up the immensity of the challenge?
Join in a campaign to Declare It Now: Wear Orange that can give people the heart, courage and sense of collective strength to rouse themselves and others as a powerful counter-force. This counter-force can alter the political atmosphere from one of paralysis and despair into one of massive mobilization and of people acting independently to change all this. A groundswell of orange that can turn into a groundswell that rises up from below and has the potential of sweeping Bush from office before his term is up.
Declare It Now: Wear Orange! Wear orange everywhere you go and beginning
this Friday, and every Friday thereafter, join up with others in a mass way, gatherings of people wearing orange leafleting, doing street theater, holding up posters of the Bush regime’s crimes swell in size in a regular places each week.
Orange Fridays will help make visible a movement of the millions to force Bush and Cheney from office, repudiate the Bush regime’s program, and reverse the direction of this country.
Nationwide launching of “Orange Fridays”: July 27th
In NYC, converge at: Union Square, 5:00 PM

Converge at Union Square, 5pm. Hear Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright, Victor Toro, Rev. Billy, Elaine Brower, Carlos Arredondo, Jonathan Tasini and local elected officials indict the Bush Regime, and explain why they are part of a movement to "Declare It Now" and wear orange to show their resistance to the Bush Regime.

Listen to music, join a marching band to bring more people in and help cover Union Square with the urgent color of orange.

BE THERE! WEAR ORANGE! DECLARE IT NOW!

Help make it happen!

There are three broad areas of work to do this week: Outreach, fundraising, and media

Outreach:
Flyering (with orange bandanas, ribbons, and contact sheets) for Friday’s event
Visiting store owners near Union Square about selling orange bandanas/displaying posters for the event.
Emailing or telephoning the leaders of organizations urging them to post this event on their listservs and, of course, to attend themselves.
Help design an eye-catching banner for Friday's event.
Fundraising:
Bandanas, flyers, ribbons, and other materials all cost money!
We want to print a powerful ad in the West Side Spirit, Our Town, Downtown, The Westsider, and Chelsea Clinton News:

The price for the ad to appear in all five papers is $2500--help make it possible for this Thursday's printing! Donate online through paypal at nyc.worldcantwait.org (link at bottom of email). Or donate by checkend checks payable to NYC-World Can't Wait to: NYC World Can't Wait, 305 Madison Avenue, Suite 1166, New York, NY 10165.
We also need people who are able to call and/or email potential donors this week. If you have never done this before, don’t worry—it’s easy and we will show you the ropes!
Finally, we need volunteers to research the cost of various materials.
Media:
We need volunteers to help with contacting local print, radio, and television media about covering Friday’s event. In the case of radio, we need to get Public Service Annoucements on the air.
We are of course open also to other ideas you have for how to help make Friday a success. Please email nyc@worldcantwait.org or call 347-678-5905 to let us know how and when you could help this week.