apologies to the idm "music only " listers who've
spoken their opinion already on list purity.
OK, before anyone flames me or calls me names
or puts me in their kill file...please read the following disclaimers.
Firstly, Im anti Bush, anti Republican and, though an American,certainly
anti
American government.
Secondly, I'll be at the rally in NYC.
BUT- challenge where we're going with protests.
Does anyone really think that these rallies will charge Bushs' plans?
If say, a million worldwide, 2 million? 10 million? people worldwide show up
and wave flags and show solidarity, will the Bush admin decide...."ok,
here's something that's
been in the works for 10 years plus but...the Americans and many others
seem not to want
this War, lets all just go home. Pack up the troops, we're gonna spend our
resources on education,
AIDS research and reviving the Social Security System. " It won't happen.
For anyone that thinks that the American peace movement "stopped" the
Vietnam
War ( which coincidentally was also about Oil...) , read up on American
history with a more discerning eye.
Vietnam ended because it was over, not because millions of peace-niks ( who
are now in control
of the American media and entertainment industries ) waved a bunch of
banners. Certainly
the Civil Rights movement in America was accelerated and eventually
triumphed from rallies
and protests. But this didn't involve geopolitics, Oil and imperialism.
2003- I can see it now...after the Peace protests, we get into our fuel
burning cars ( using the same fuel
that we're going to War for, btw...) go and grab our 3 dollar designer
coffees, get back online to our AOL accounts
and read the news disseminated by our co-opted, watered down, pseudo liberal
press telling us how few people showed up
for the rallies. This is exactly how the rallies have been covered so far.
Why would the February rallies be any different?
Numbers?
To me, the biggest failure of the Left is our adherence to old modes of
protest. Waving flags and
standing in rallies makes us feel as if we have a democratic say in our
future. Like I said, I will
be at the rally as well, all the while knowing that a rally in and of itself
will change nothing.
What we should be doing is organizing new modes of communication and new
modes of spreading
information. This does not mean randomly spamming or phone calling our views
in a haphazard fashion.
I do not have the specific plan but it's something that I've tackled in my
mind ever since Bush stole
my country. I think we, as War opposers, need to figure a way to educate
people who are either in support of this War
or who are so dulled by our materialist media culture that they can't even
see whats really happening, or at worst,don't care.
Standing in a group with millions of others who share your opinion is great
but isn't it more effective to educate
a stranger on what the Military-Industrial complex really -is- ? Or what the
increasingly privatized defense contract industry really is? Or, at the core
of it all, what the Oil industry really is? There are explanations as to why
Britain stands with the US and why France and Russia do not...it all goes
back to Oil. The facts herein are not that cryptic or mysterious.
Technology, more specifically, the Internet and media channels need to be
tools. These tools need to be radicalized and sharpened.
I just think we've been a bit too busy painting our Peace banners. I'd feel
much better if I could have a calm and civilized discussion with an ignorant
Republican as opposed to standing in a march with millions of people who
already share my opinion.
I don't have all the answers, but I think we need to pick a new approach.
Proliferate the media; its the last hope.
but, we've always been at War with Eurasia, right? ; )
Peter
" Why of course the people don't want war ... But after all it is the
leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a simple
matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist
dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship...Voice or no
voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That
is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and
denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to
danger."
Hermann Goering, Nazi leader, at the Nuremberg Trials after WW2