gordonzola | and my feet hurt

So, you're a guy who Thinks About Things, so I want to ask... why? I'm curious what your reason is for thinking this was a good idea.

And I don't mean that in the sense of "you're wrong, let's fight!" but really just because most of the other people who've tried to explain their reasons to me have just made me want to sentence them to a manditory critical thinking class. I'm curious to hear the answer from someone who actually has one.

I actually have one simple reason. On the day that the country I live in starts overtly dropping tons of bombs on people, letting business go on as usual is complicity.

It's cliched to quote, but I can't improve on Mario Savio's famous speech really. I think it gets used way too often, but this part is just as true as ever:

" There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part; you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop. And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all! "

I don't view yesterday's actions as a time to convince anyone. Sometimes you need to use tactics that are more to show that you're alive as part of opposition and resistance than as an educational tool. I view yesterday as a way to show that many, many people are unwilling to have a war of aggression fought in our names. (as well as opposing the crackdown in rights in the name of fighting terrorism, etc. etc.)

I don't like tactics that inconvenience people without power in general. I don't like traffic blockades as a long-term tactic. (I would have been happy if everyone ended the traffic actions at the close of business hours.) But I think that in this case, at that time, shutting down business as usual in a major city is a meaningful goal.

And I did not take your question in any way as picking a fight, btw. But thank you for making that so clear.

Yeah, I was hoping to hear from you as well. I have such conflicting opinions, it all just boils down into a frustratingly ambivalent stupor.

So many of the "protesters" I know are motivated by "Dood, we're fucking shit up! Woo!" or "Look what a moralistic martyr I am - I got handcuffed for fucking shit up! Woo!"

Also a lot of other stuff besides that. Yeah.
(You see now why I'm asking?!)

Had a feeling you'd be a part of that.

I wish I were there.

we definitely need to drink and trade protest stories. it's been an amazing few days...

i too was downtown and it was amazing!!! the black bloc are a bunch of idiots who tried to get into a violent confrontation with the cops on wednes in the mission district. i was over by the federal building, market and 5th and civic center areas where there were sizable numbers of demostrators. we shut down the federal building because we had hella people. (i was amazed by the # of fed. employess bummed that they couldn't get into the building and lurked around for hours. who here would do that??)i'm not an adocate of non-violent civil disobedience but 'fuck shit up' tactic makes no sense to me especially when outnumbered by the cops. i for one would rather be giving, not receiving, an ass kicking. in SF when POC/Queers resort to such actions, we're singled out arrested on all sorts of chumped up charges.

You know within any large group of people there will be a certain percentage that are just there for the intensity. That goes for the left and the right. Lots of those military gorillas just want to get in there and blow stuff up; they don't care why. And lots of the lefty demonstrator people just wanna throw a brick and smash a window.

Whatever, you just have to take for granted the existence of those people in any group. And they don't change the fact that amerikkkans using their money and weapons to bully the world merits some serious action on the "home" front.

There will always be those that just don't get it. There will be those that say that Rosa Parks inconvenienced those poor white people on the bus who just wanted to get to work. Those same people might say that she accomplished nothing because they don't understand the value of making a statement or expressing one's opinion outside of the safe, acceptable (and more easily ignored) methods. That's cool. Their lack of comprehension will never diminish the nobility of her actions.

But for myself, I know that I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror if I had sat at home or work and done nothing. Apathy and complacency are some of the most disgraceful characteristics one can have. I have more respect for the cops than I do the apathetic.

So take heart, cheez-man. You fought the good fight. You should be proud of yourself. The world is a better place with people like you in it. You rock.

...and someday, ten years from now, or maybe when we're 80 and people ask where we were when the bombs fell, we can say that we were standing against the war, standing in solidarity with the nations of the world who oppose this. we were there protesting before it started, and on the first day, and we told the government and the world that we would not support this war. when people ask us if we stood by and let the government detain arabs based on their race, religion, and nationality, we will be able to say that we stood up and fought back. most of all, we will be able to live with the choices we have made.

100% with both of you. thanks.

I'm jealous -both of the ability to shut down the city, and of the sheer numbers of people involved. That was pretty awesome.

...On the other hand, the sad reality is that shutting down San Francisco is going to have zero impact on the war effort / zero impact on the White House / and a negligable effect on public opinion. Most people will simply dismiss it out of hand -just because it's happening in San Francisco. As I was saying to Mimi, San Francisco could sink beneath the ocean, and most Americans wouldn't even care. (Massive demos? -"Oh, it's just some people in San Francisco...They're all crazy out there.")

yes, but if we didn't do it they'll marginilize you by saying, "Even San Francisco doesn't do this. You're way too radical"

we try to enlarge the box of possibility for all americans.

Two words: "Freedom Fries."

truly. that's enough reason to riot.

Our peace protest in Montrose is tomorrow.....let's see if we get some decent #s. Nothing to fuck up here, just make our resistance known. It makes me want to sob watching the news. So glad to hear about protest in SF - the New Yorkers that I talked to were impressed by the numbers that showed up.
As I was driving home from work yesterday, I noticed more candles lit in windows than flags flying outside houses.
Gab won't go to the peace march, she has a skateboarding date with a guy. Sheesh. Teenagers. Nik's going, though.

BTW, there is a donut shop outside Scranton that changed the French cruellers to Freedom cruellers.

Hey G, are ya going to post with more details later? I feel so outta the loop-- mainstream news isn't giving me what I want to see/hear about SF, and I think indymedia's servers are overwhelmed-- most of the links seem broken or fucked up....

-No Doi

I *AM* glad that you were all out there! I'm just feeling a little helpless/hopeless right now (not too mention feverish -running around in the freezing rain yesterday did wonders for my chest cold).

Quote of the day: "If you're protesting then you are a terrorist."

BTW -You DID manage to enlarge the box... check this out:

"Mass Civil Disobedience in Rural Northfield"
http://twincities.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=11108&group=webcast

the 5th Marine unit that entered iraq, earlier than expected, decided to name the assault operation camel toe. did anyone else catch that?

I want to believe it, but I think I need a source for that one.

it was mentioned on the news(tv) wed/thrs
got electricvenom.net and search camel toe...you'll see...those nasty marines

goto upi.org or upi.com. search camel toe. it's great to know a bunch of frat boys are running the military

who are you, anonymous friend? and why are you so obsessed with camel toes?

and my feet hurt

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

shut em down!!

fuck the complacent

Re: fuck the complacent

Re: fuck the complacent

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

war

Re: war

Re: war

Re: more camel toe confirmation

Re: more camel toe confirmation