I find there’s some confusion as to what it means to take to the streets. It’s not just protest, it’s not just calling attention to oneself. The efficacy of street protest is not to be judged by how it influences lawmakers, or how well it mobilizes support. Taking to the streets is about establishing a beach head.
On the flip side of the military analogy, have you wondered in this age of high tech weapons, aircraft carriers and unmanned drones, why a military force would still need foot soldiers at all? At the same time, how is it that the Vietcong, and now the Iraqis insurgents, could resist our mighty aerial bombardments with nothing but relatively unarmed men?
These are leading questions of course because neither bombs, nor laws, nor ideology, can hold ground. Until you can run the infantry in to plant a flag, the land is not yours. And if you don’t send enough manpower, you can’t keep it.
This government isn’t going to cede its despotism if even 100% of us are making knowing remarks from the sidelines. We can laugh Bush out of the blogosphere but he and his cronies will hold the reins in Washington and Wallstreet until you and I are outside with pitchforks.
That’s what we are doing in the streets. It may be early, there may not be much of a following, but someone’s got to set the example. And one person out on the street today unafraid of the police state, is success enough. Onward Christian soldiers!
there’s a show on tonight I think, on the National Geographic channel about the Weapons Systems and how great and powerful they are and how they dominate and control the battlefield,
and there’s congressional debate over who is supplying the primitive and low tech (compared to a 20 million dollar tank) explosive devices that can punch a hole right through the “invincible” Abrams tank. And are doing so on an increasingly frequent basis.
Onward Christian soldiers?!? What to attack the Buddhists? (coming soon to a frontline near you!)
I wish the f*ck that local contributors would recall there’s more viewpoints than “Armageddon in the Springs-time” (yep, like a Mel Brooks rerun of “The Producers”). Granted, Bush supporters made this a “religious” war, but is it really “smart” to keep the holy bandwagon campsong?
Don’t underestimate (marginalize) other methods / beliefs.
Please do support/ keep up the rallys AND web (links to think). Agreed blog is dog… lest these voices are a prayer-chain. Woof. Amen. (?)
Stop the war.
Of course, the biggest street actions of all are being taken on the streets of Baghdad. Or as it is now officially being termed (since I just made this up)
Bog Down…
Bog Down, Iraq is nice, but for my money the capital of The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (official title of US puppetland) and its capital, Cabal- City of Light is truly where the street scene will eventually stand out. Check out the official web site of Cabal, Afghanistan at http:www.cityoflight-kabul.com/index.htm
Think it beautiful now, wait ’till the $9 billion development project is finished! Thank you, George Bush. Many are just waiting to vacation there.
oops… make that address
http://www.cityoflight-kabul.com/index.htm