The Day the Earth Stood Still: An International Sick-out

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday January 13, 2003 22:01 by Rita Weinstein rwineskin at juno dot com

In the film of the same name, an alien being delivers a stern warning to the people of the Earth: disarm or perish. He displays his power by stopping transmission of all forms of energy throughout the world. We, the workers whose energy keeps the corporatists' machinery running, can do the same by holding a global general strike.

The Day the Earth Stood Still: An International Sick-out
Rita Weinstein

Anybody out there remember the classic sci-fi film by that name? In it, an alien landed a spacecraft on the Mall in Washington, D.C. and asked to be allowed to speak to the UN to deliver a warning: disarm or you will be destroyed. The alien, Klatu, didn’t specify by whom the destruction would take place. He did make it plain that we would certainly do it to ourselves, even if no one “out there” did. Klatu never made it to the UN, but he was able to demonstrate to the world that those who sent him meant business. He caused a shutdown of all power throughout the globe at a specified time on a specified date. From cars to trains to wristwatches, everything came to a halt.
On January 18, there will be very large antiwar demonstrations in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and in cities across America. According to George Monbiot of The Guardian (Jan. 7, 2003), “On January 18, demonstrators will seek to blockade the armed forces' joint headquarters at Northwood, in north London. Three days later, there'll be a mass lobby of parliament; at 6 pm on the day the war is announced, protesters will gather in almost every town centre in Britain. On February 15, there'll be a massive rally in London.” There will also be demonstrations in cities throughout Europe on February 15.
Here’s the idea: a global work stoppage, an international sick day if you will, to take place on Friday, February 14 (or on the day after the nighttime bombing begins, if Bush starts the war prior to February 14) to protest the war on the world currently being waged by the Bush administration. Monbiot goes on to add, “The [Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament] and the Stop the War Coalition have suggested an hour's stoppage on the day after the war begins. Many activists [in the U.K.] are now talking about building on this, and seeking to provoke wider strike action - even a general strike.”
So, in England, a kind of "sick-out" movement is building. If we can get the ball rolling here for a coordinated "sick-out" across America, a full-blown "sick-out" day -- in essence, a general strike of protest -- could sweep across England, Europe and the rest of the globe.
It is we, the folks who show up for work every day, who are providing the tax dollars to pay for this war on the economy, the environment, worker safety, civil rights, and on the poor. We are the ones who keep the machine up and running. We are the ones whose children are being shortchanged on education, health care, and clean air and water. We are the ones who will reap the whirlwind (or will be sucking wind) when the bill for the administration’s misguided and dangerous policies comes due.

A general strike early in the last century brought down the Tsar of all the Russias and changed nearly a century of history. The Communist party came crashing down in Poland thanks to the solidarity of its workers. If we choose peaceful noncooperation in maintaining a system badly in need of course correction, we may surprise ourselves at how quickly change can be effected. No organization is necessary, in fact it would probably be counter-productive. Just start forwarding this email. Let’s all get truly sick and tired of it all on February 14, 2003 (or on the day after bombing begins) and make it the day the Earth stands still. Go out there and get sick!

“He who resists is not defeated. Defeat happens when you run away.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Rita Weinstein is a Seattle-based freelance writer and playwright.
rwineskin@juno.com