Civil Disobedience: Tilting at War

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0605-22.htm

<snip>

Civil disobedience does, and should, have its price. It's there where the value of civil disobedience lies. A lot of people had to go to jail in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963. But that wasn't the point. The point was that so many people had to go to jail that the jails were filled, and the nation's attention was drawn to the question of why. What was important was not that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had to go to jail, but that he did go to jail.

King wrote in his autobiography: "I became convinced that non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good."...



------------------------------------------------------------------

We should make it our business to honor this man and his dream, and remaining steeped in denial is not the way to do it. Dr. King taught us, ALL of us, the lessons on nonviolent, noncooperation and how effectively they can be used against seemingly insurmountable odds. It's high time we start applying them in an organized, massive, sustained effort to take our country back.

How much more of this illegitimate regime can we take? How many more stolen elections can we afford? How tight and all encompassing do we allow their fascist grip on power to become before we begin the revolution that we all know MUST come, sooner or later?

mj24

[MadMaddie]

1. It's coming....mj24...

of course something very bad is going to happen...this administration is out of it's famous Rovian tricks and now....they are willing to do anything to retain their power....the question is will we stand by when it happens while the sheep go back to their shepard in wolves skin? or will we take to the streets.....

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

6. If we want to save our country, we'll have to take to the streets. nt.

[rosesaylavee]

2. What action are you proposing?

I think many of us are active in our communities in a variety of ways... letters to the editor, marching, writing petitions, etc.

But I am open to other things to do that are non-violent.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

3. The things you mentioned are important...

...Massive protests that effectively don't end with the weekend and everybody back to work on Monday are something I think we need. This may be unrealistic at this point, maybe things will have to get much worse first, but it's what I think we need more than anything else.

I also think boycotts can be effective. Again large numbers participating and a sustained effort are required. This piece by Jesuit Priest and Peace Activist, John Dear speaks to these ideas better than I can:

http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0602-08.htm

[gcolvin]

5. Be there in person. . .

every time one of these nut jobs dares to show his face in public. We need to do more than just write letters we have to be there showing our displeasure. I'm going to post this on the Ohio blogs, (if I can ever reach the magic posting number), but McCain is coming to Ohio State's graduation on Sunday 6/11 at noon and I think anybody who has the time and the ability should be there. There's a meeting of the Central Ohio DFA on Wednesday and I'm going to see what kind of support I can get. Check "The Alarm" at wakeupnowamerica.blogspot.com for more details.

[amerikat]

4. I have a torch so i can see

my pitchfork as i turn the compost at night. I will wait and see what civil disobedience means to me.

[rosesaylavee]

7. I like that - folksey yet threatening...

I told my local city rep that my pitchfork is sharpened and ready to go anytime he wants to stake out our congressmen... he thought I was just being funny...

[unkachuck]

8. amen....

....we need a nationwide Cut n' Run for Victory Marathon....withdraw immediately from Iraq and Cut our losses so we can Run for Victory over Terrorism at home....

....if we have a Cut n' Run Marathon for Victory on a weekend and it'successful, we should have all subsequent Cut n' Run for Victory Marathons on weekdays....

....I could use the exercise....