‘Against the war! Against empire!’

From a March 15 speech played at protest rallies marking the sixth anniversary of the U.S. war on Iraq.

Ona Move! Long Live John Africa!

Dear brothas and sistas against empire,

I greet you all from America’s death row or what some have called Guantánamo North.

As you gather today against the carnage and hell brought to both Afghanistan and Iraq, know that the rumblings and warnings of dissent, of the voices of millions back in spring 2003, have come true.

Many people said the war would wreak destruction, not just abroad, but here at home, as the economy would crumble.

It’s now 2009. Look around you and you can almost see things falling. This is but the latest crisis of capitalism. The stock market is a jack ‘n the box, and I needn’t even mention the foreclosure crisis. It’s but the latest bubble to burst. And joblessness!

But as bad as things are here, they pale in comparison to the hell lived by millions under U.S. occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why should anyone be surprised that the most popular man in Iraq is Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the journalist who launched a pair of size 10s at the American president [Bush], and not the U.S. puppet installed as prime minister?

In Afghanistan, the so-called president is little more than “the mayor of Kabul,” and also the head of the biggest heroin ring on earth.

Isn’t it time to say goodbye to empire? I thank you for your kind invitation! Down with all imperial wars!