The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) is an organization based at TroopsOutNow.org which is, presumably, against the current Iraq war. Its About Us page, surprisingly, doesn’t come right out and say this, but you can figure it out. Anyway, their header graphic is this:

Shrunk to fit, click to big-ifyAt a time when the anti-war movement can actually claim that a majority of Americans support an immediate pullout from Iraq, I don’t understand why you would want to muddy the water with a bunch of unrelated issues.   Troops Out Now Coalition seems like it should have a single focus, and yet its main title graphic includes all the following signs, from left to right:

1. Fund Jobs Not Prisons
2. LGBT Contingent
3. Immigrant Rights!
4. Stop Racism and Police Terror
5. Healthcare for ALL
6. Bring the Troops Home
7.  Women Speak Out
8. (Handicapped logo)
9. IMPEACH Bush!
10. ??? (Looks like $$$ for Bridges & Others)
11. Students Strike!
12. Justice for Katrina Survivors

Only one of these was clearly anti-war.  A few could be anti-war with a little finagling (LGBT Contingent, Women Speak Out, IMPEACH Bush, Students for Strike!) while most of them a unrelated progressive causes.  If you’re an anti-war coalition, why are you getting bogged down in Katrina issues?  Shouldn’t you focus your energy and your efforts on only one cause? Despite majority American support, you haven’t been able to accomplish your goals — could this be one of the reasons why?

This reminds me of last week’s anti-war protests.  It seemed like half of the protesters’ energy was focused on non-Iraq war issues.  Ralph Nader got up there and talked about Lebanon.  Lebanon?  The protesters were arguing about Israeli apartheid, 9/11 cover-ups, abortion, a Pat Tillman cover-up, Cuba’s socialist revolution, a war on Christians and whatever this lady’s talking about. Seriously, supporting Cuba’s socialist revolution?  That’s what you want to be talking about right now?

So, yeah, Troops Out Now Coalition, why do you have all these other issues on your header banner?  Is that really how you want to present yourself?  When you have a cause that has popular support and you could actually be successful with, is it wise to attach other, less popular, issues? There are a lot of anti-war voters who are not pro gay rights.  There are a lot of anti-war voters who are not anti-prisons.  Why alienate them?

Do you really want to be the Troops Out of Iraq and 11 Other Issues Coalition?