Question

[redrev]

I have access to thousands of young people everyday, they are not exactly 'political' but are not 'mainstream'. They are like everyone else, all talking about the war and 95% disgusted by it.
I would like to offer them a paragraph that is written in lamen terms. A paragraph that explains from a Marxist point of view, why this war is happening, why we should be against and what we should do now.
Maybe 10% would read and want more information and decide to read further into Marxist literature.
can anyone help me with this?

[marx_was_right]

"The working class, which is the principle supplier of soldiers, and which bears the brunt of the material sacrifices, is in particular the natural enemy of wars, because wars contradict the aim it pursues, namely, the creation of an economic system founded on socialist principles, which in practice will give effect to the solidarity of peoples..."

 Lenin

 Also try to avoid pacifist slogans like 'not in my name' and 'give peace a chance'

 Explain why there is a war and why under capitalism there always will be

[WindhamsonlyRed]

Redrev, this is irrelevent but you seem like you're in high school (surrounded by "thousands" of young people)...If this is the case I would suggest watching what you say.
My school (I'm in High School) is so McCarthyist.  When word got out that I was red you wouldn't believe how many threats I got and what not.  Now everyone's used to it but there was a time.
You're lucky that a lot of people are against war where you are.
In my school everyone is for it...Funny thing is no one has a real reason.  They're all mindless clones.  Some say to eliminate the "terror threat" but that's such BS.
Most people just say "I dunno, I just hope everyone gets killed".
I'm screwed if the youth of my town is the future.

[DrUSA]

Foreign policy is the extension of domestic policy.  Therefore our attitude to the policies of the government (controlled as it is by big business) is the same during peace as during war.  The ruling class is interested in profits and power here at home and abroad. We oppose attacks on wages, jobs, conditions, healthcare, education, etc. here at home.  And we oppose the attacks on workers and young people around the world.  We do not support Saddam - but can we trust a government which has ruined the economy and attacked our civil liberties and quality of life here at home to "liberate" the Iraqi people?  We can rely only on our own organizations and tactics - international working class solidarity - to defeat the ruling class at home and abroad.

[Paul Smith]

Nicely said Igor.

Reactionary-bourgeois-pacifist "anti-war" organisations, I'm sure you can guess the one I mean are a complete and utter joke.

The SWP's support of such popularist organisations is insane Chris Bambery (SWP bureaucrat) was going on about anyone not supporting the Stop the War Coalition (there I said it) "deserves a bullet in the head."

I'm sure your aware the SSP falls into this boat too.

Marxists must oppose popular fronts and must not support coalitions with reactionary and bourgeois elements, unless absolutely necessary.

A good alternative would be 'No war but the class war' and 'victory in the class war to end all war'.  Revolutionary slogans. :-)

Ohh the second line of the second verse of the Internationale is also good 'On tyrants only we'll make war'

[marx_was_right]

Spot on Paul

 A very good quote from our manifesto against the war..

 "To approach war from a purely sentimental or pacifist standpoint is a futile exercise. It would be like a doctor who, instead of providing an accurate diagnosis and appropriate medicine, limited himself to weeping tears over the patient's symptoms. The patient may be grateful for this display of sympathy, but will not derive much benefit from it.

In order to conduct an effective struggle against war, it is first necessary to understand the causes of war, and this is only possible if we grasp the class interests behind wars. Lenin explained long ago that capitalism means war. In the present epoch of capitalist decline this is truer than when it was first written. The global crisis of capitalism expresses itself as general instability - economic, political and military.

Wars cannot be prevented by the UN or by pacifist appeals for peace. War can only be prevented by mass action and by the revolutionary struggle against imperialism and capitalism."

[redrev]

Thank you very much for the paragraphs.

I am not in highschool nor are the young people I have acess to. And I do not have acess to them face to face. They are already left, are already searching and are generally very open minded. But because it is not a political forum, I feel delivering an entire text to them would not be very sucessful. A paragraph like the ones provided are much more powerful to these young people.

thanks