(@6 – promoted by buhdydharma )
Cross posted to Dailykos, VetVoice & Turn Maine Blue with link to here to post comments.
I am tired. So tired. I usually use an editor for my diaries because of my head injury and poor organization, grammar, repeating myself and essays that are generally too long. Those take me 10 hours or more and then an editor.
This one is straight from the heart and hip and will be written in short order and to the point (I hope).
During Viet Nam there were tons of protests and large marches and people in front of the
White house and more.
This war is even worse and the condition of our nation is far worse. We have some small and well meaning attempts at rallies and marches. Nothing near the ones of the Nam era.
It is time for true civil disobedience. We keep waiting and waiting and waiting for change. Now we are hanging our hat on the 2008 election. We hung our hat on getting a majority in 2006 and look what that has gotten us. DICK!! The problems keep mounting. The damage Bushco could do in the next 13 months could be catastrophic.
Our dems we thought would change things when we elected them in 2006 have done nothing. We heard from them before 2006 that we didn’t have the majority. Now we hear many other excuses. We send petitions and write letters to our congressmen and senators. The democratic process is NOT working. The voice of the people is NOT being heard.
Bush and Cheney need to be impeached NOW. Funding for MANY things need to be increased IMMEDIATELY and funding for others need to be reduced or cut off. We need a definitive plan for COMPLETE with drawl of our troops from Iraq by 06/09 (IMHO). IMHO, immediate with drawl is not feasible for numerous reasons. This one is only relevant when coupled with numerous others but to name just one, our VA is buried now and the influx of another 160,000 troops tomorrow would break them and do nothing to help those returning and make it worse on those already in the VA system. I am not saying it is better to leave them in a war but the repurcussions wouldn’t be too far from it.
WE, the left, need to take more drastic action. I am not sure what. I am open to any suggestions. I will participate in any logical action that would cause change. I just know our current tactics are doing nothing. To believe the election of a democratic president alone is going to change that is delusional. What IF a republican is elected, which is possible? We didn’t think it was possible in 2004. We didn’t think a majority in 2006 would have as little impact as it has.
The kind of changes we need are so drastic, wide sweeping and broad that only the demands of a HUGE number of people in a dramatic fashion will do anything at all.
I believe our current efforts are yielding so little that I have personally considered just dropping off the blogs and the talk about change and just living my life. My personal life is good. I could leave here and just vote for a democrat in 2008 and in the meantime leave all the talk up to those who want to continue fighting via the current unproductive means. My wife and I are in good shape. We make a decent living. I have full medical coverage by the VA. We have a nice little house in the woods with our two dogs and a cat.
Here are some ideas off the top of my head on possible more drastic means to get “their” attention. I am not saying any are good or feasible and I am open to anyone else’s.
OUR DEMANDS- Impeachment, definitive troop with drawl timelines, increased funding for Veterans benefits, close Gitmo, trials of all in the bushco group who are implicated in illegal acts, release of the names of companies who participated in wire tapping, passing of the law outlawing torture by the CIA and adopting the recent revised Army code of conduct regarding torture of prisoners for all government agencies, any funds for Iraq tied to troop with drawl time lines and EQUAL VA funding and passage of SCHIP. Anything more that is reasonable and people contribute here, I am onboard.
POSSIBLE METHODS TO CONVEY OUR DEMANDS BY THOSE WITH THE CONVICTION OF THEIR BELIEFS.
– Do not file taxes in 2008 and circulate a petition on EVERY blog and every possible place of those who will commit to this. Release the petitions when completed to the press (provided enough sign, 250,000 ?). (Henry David Thoreau)*
– A petition committing to file for an extension for tax filing and then if our demands are not met by the extension date, do not file at all and also release this to the press (if enough signatures, 250,000 ?). (Thoreau)*
– MANY, MANY on the left going to Washington and camping out with signs posted next to our tents and painted on them about many issues and presentation of our demands.
– Camp out at individual state capitals where we live in lieu of Washington.
I don’t know what else to do. I do know, I am tired of waiting and waiting and waiting. I do know that one definition of insanity is “repeating the same acts over and over again expecting different results.”
This definition applies to most of us on the left without a doubt.
IT IS TIME TO TAKE MORE DRASTIC AND SUBSTANTIAL ACTION. IT IS TIME TO REALLY GET THEIR ATTENTION. LOOKING FOR ANY IDEAS OR INTELLIGENT CONTRIBUTIONS.
You are welcome to ridicule me. Tell me I am nuts. Tell me why none of this or other “civil disobedience” is not feasible. That is fine. I don’t care, I can say GBCW and live just fine as I stated. I can let everyone continue talking, sending emails, and doing the same o same o and continue their insanity as defined above. I have plenty to do with a website I am setting up and my ebay business.
* My favorites. Can’t throw us in jail and will get the message across that we are serious IF we get enough to sign a petition of intent.
PS- To the few who read my series on Russia. I am sorry I did not post #5 as promised, “What is Putin up to? Dictator? Czar? More about Russia #5. My editor is ill and will have it ready for me to post soon. Somehow foreign policy & other countries issues seem less important than the many many domestic problems we have. Although, I do not believe this particular one is such since we are talking about a major nuclear super power that IMHO is attempting to position themselves to become the number one super power in the world and knows how decimated our military currently is. #1 in series- https://www.docudharma.com/show… Links to next in series at end of each.
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I was in touch with someone who had excellent advice for protests, how to legally protest, what rights you had vs the cops, how to get the media involved etc.
Let me see if I can find them again because that advice is crucial to this topic.
Objecting since 1966…
Older, grey, tired, but unwavering in resolve.
when safety is provided in numbers. The media and the total viciousness of our current and future regime scare people. My sister in law was afraid to put bumper stickers on her car for Dean will she march? Will empowering FISA to wholesale spy on us do anything more then inhibit the resistance? Of course not. This is what they will gain. The fear is now doubled via terrorists and the Feds. Me I fear the Feds they are physically closer and have mare grip on my life. So what to do convince the masses to revolt/resist? We cower as our world already shattered may reveal itself.
nice
more thoughts on grand gestures
The GOP way of handling any organized statement is to bill it as “politically motivated”. The Corporate Media loves this answer and always let’s them leave it at that.
That is the current glass ceiling method used on any small uprising. The people at the top have an interest in staying at the top regardless of what side they are supposedly on.
How do we break that “poltically motivated” blocking tool?
The wording of any petition is key, we need to answer any questions with the statement itself.
would most certainly blacklist tax refusals, Ed and Elaine Brown.
While we on the blogs might be passionate we are .0000001% and we are one voice amongst millions of little blog boxes. It is the equivalent of knowing nothing about the family who lives three houses down the street.
I have seen lot’s of calls for strikes on the net yet nothing ever comes of it.
has succeeded beyond the elite’s wildest expectations. Soon the people here will be just like those in Russia, with no hope for the future, and both political parties will rejoice.
Get their attention? Let’s throw the bums out of office, starting with a massive vote for Dennis.
I have but one demand: a global, ecologically sustainable, society. This is my only demand because everything else brings us ecodisaster. Of course, when the IPCC said the planet was on fire, the politicians all lined up to save the capitalist system, that 800-pound economic gorilla currently breaking our backs.
Protest? How about direct action for the environment? Let’s start farms in all the major cities.
disrespecting the military, even though I have huge reservations about their roles in this and all their past and future atrocities. I try and I try but I can’t get past why killing is considered to be a virtue. World War11 made sense but all the others seem nothing more then aggression for Bull Shit. The troops maybe should consider that this is not protecting our country but furthering aggression and dominion for Empire and resources of the Haliburton order. Killing is not noble.
And for a fellow sufferer of a mild TBI – your thoughts are very ordered! Now my comments:
(1) I have long believed that witholding taxes is both the single most corrective and symbolic action we the people could takes; I believe No Taxes Without Representaion is the reason this country was formed in the first place. It is more than ironic that we are at this place in time with another George who seems to need to learn the same lesson; I don’t know the number, but if enough people do it, it will not only send the clearest message I can think if, it just might get the attention of the public servants who salararies we pay – which they seem to have forgotten.
(2) I recommend that every one who does it puts the money away and not spend it. Where to put it is a question. The go/not go number, 250,000 seems good to me. No you won’t go to jail – but wages garnished is a government action and that’s why the money has to be avaliable. Also it shows good faith which takes away any argument that its just a bunch of liberals who don’t want to pay taxes.
(3) I recommend that there be a distinction made between federal and state taxes. Most states cannot afford many programs that help the poor and we don’t need any excuses for them to he cut.
(4) There are many groups that do not believe in paying taxes. They have very different idealogies than expressed here – patriots and zealots mostly – but they are experienced in these things.
(5) Being an avid reader of Vote Vets – and for those that don’t know they were pro war and proud of it – they would be a good group to hook up with as their anger is a storm about to break and I think they would join. They are very experienced with raising awareness at the grass roots level. Anyone reading this – I suggest you go to their site and become familiar with them. They are waging a war right now – since the CIA scandle broke – and the letter they sent demanding answers now as to why we invaded Iraq is both strong and heart wrenching.
(6) And speaking of that – Mukasey was heard saying as he left his close door meeting with members of Congress – with a wry smile – “at least that took the focus off the NIE Report”. Now that pissed me off and is reason enough to not pay my taxes which I have no intention of doing.
(7)Lastly – I passed a protest two nights ago. There were 3 people – that’s right – 3 people at one of the busiet intersections of Los Angeles. I put protesting up there with emailing Nancy Pelosi – maybe you will get noticed but I doubt it – especially this time of year. Now what happens on January 1st? All of those ads start running by companies who want to help you with your taxes. Consider it free publicity.
In other words – I’m in.