Lots of meetings this week for the Oct. 26th DC trip. I can see why I've never done anything political before. I really like everyone involved, but it's pretty boring hashing out political differences (and this is inside the group where we all pretty much agree.) It takes a really long time to come to the most simple decisions. Of course I'm no help at all. Luckily we have some folks who really know what they are doing.
It's never a good idea to mix politics with protest rallies.
Yeah, that's sort of our idea. Get the politics out. That sort of makes no sense, but in another way it does. We want it to be like a big party, celebration, performance, etc...
Public demonstrations are good (and I attend them when I can) because we need physical evidence of opposition. Politicians are intimidated by crowds, and the media takes note of them. When you hear "100,000 march in England" and "5000 march in the US" it sounds like the US doesn't care much.
That said, I found that antiwar Pledge of Allegiance that Sarah posted to be kind of disturbing. I'm all for people being on the street with signs they made, but not for swearing public oaths to this or that antiwar vision. 9/11 has made some strange political bedfellows, and I find myself cheering the speeches of Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul these days as much as the Greens. But I would never tell anyone they need to embrace libertarian doctrine (which shuns all government regulation, including health and environmental protections). I would only say that it's worth a look because it's anti-Bush and anti-neoconservative.
and protest!! make fun not war!!
with you we are 5001:>)
Yes. Our group formed out of people who went to Central Park but were disturbed by some of these things. I didn't like reading the pledge out loud (although I agree with it basically.) But worse was the way the American left gets side tracked into all of these specific causes. At that rally we were, apparently, protesting against Israeli aggression, police brutality, the slave trade in women, poor working conditions for workers, destruction of the family farm, etc... After a while it wasn't even clear what the point was. These are all good causes, but in the context of the rally it just sucks the juice out of the main point: let's not start another war right now.
If there was a group on the left that any of us could fit ourselves into then we wouldn't be trying to build something else. But there isn't; so we are. We'll see how far we get.
No more boring speaches by the same people who've been giving boring (even if well meaning) speaches for 30 years. Time for something new. And since our group has experience in throwing parties (rock shows, raves, etc...) this is the model we're taking. Imagine a viral party that travels from city to city getting the youth on board, raising money, etc... No kumbaya (unless someone remixes it and adds some bass,) no Pete Seager, no preaching. Just dancing, costumes, irony, subversion. Funk the war. You guys know what I'm talking about....
hi Jim -
That's the best model idea for protest now I've heard.
Count me in please.
Chuck
tech-YES pranksters, and very merry
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- jim 10-12-2002 6:32 pm
It's never a good idea to mix politics with protest rallies.
- steve 10-12-2002 7:33 pm
Yeah, that's sort of our idea. Get the politics out. That sort of makes no sense, but in another way it does. We want it to be like a big party, celebration, performance, etc...
- jim 10-12-2002 7:37 pm
Public demonstrations are good (and I attend them when I can) because we need physical evidence of opposition. Politicians are intimidated by crowds, and the media takes note of them. When you hear "100,000 march in England" and "5000 march in the US" it sounds like the US doesn't care much.
That said, I found that antiwar Pledge of Allegiance that Sarah posted to be kind of disturbing. I'm all for people being on the street with signs they made, but not for swearing public oaths to this or that antiwar vision. 9/11 has made some strange political bedfellows, and I find myself cheering the speeches of Pat Buchanan and Ron Paul these days as much as the Greens. But I would never tell anyone they need to embrace libertarian doctrine (which shuns all government regulation, including health and environmental protections). I would only say that it's worth a look because it's anti-Bush and anti-neoconservative.
- tom moody 10-12-2002 8:17 pm
and protest!! make fun not war!!
- Skinny 10-12-2002 8:24 pm
with you we are 5001:>)
- Skinny 10-12-2002 8:26 pm
Yes. Our group formed out of people who went to Central Park but were disturbed by some of these things. I didn't like reading the pledge out loud (although I agree with it basically.) But worse was the way the American left gets side tracked into all of these specific causes. At that rally we were, apparently, protesting against Israeli aggression, police brutality, the slave trade in women, poor working conditions for workers, destruction of the family farm, etc... After a while it wasn't even clear what the point was. These are all good causes, but in the context of the rally it just sucks the juice out of the main point: let's not start another war right now.
If there was a group on the left that any of us could fit ourselves into then we wouldn't be trying to build something else. But there isn't; so we are. We'll see how far we get.
No more boring speaches by the same people who've been giving boring (even if well meaning) speaches for 30 years. Time for something new. And since our group has experience in throwing parties (rock shows, raves, etc...) this is the model we're taking. Imagine a viral party that travels from city to city getting the youth on board, raising money, etc... No kumbaya (unless someone remixes it and adds some bass,) no Pete Seager, no preaching. Just dancing, costumes, irony, subversion. Funk the war. You guys know what I'm talking about....
- jim 10-12-2002 8:31 pm
hi Jim -
That's the best model idea for protest now I've heard.
Count me in please.
Chuck
- chuck 10-13-2002 6:00 am
tech-YES pranksters, and very merry
- Skinny 10-13-2002 8:38 pm
The website is up. Send an email here to get on the mailing list. Reserve your seat here.
- jim 10-17-2002 11:35 pm