>But as far as Seattle (and this applies even more to later protests) I think
>the vast number of activists are peaceful, disciplined fighters for
>justice-- and they have refused to restrain the small number of vandals and
>violence-freaks who give the police the excuse to arrest and beat the shit
>out of the rest.
First of all, people who smash windows aren't "violence freaks." You may not like what they do, but it's pretty minor league stuff. By using that phrase, you're accepting the ruling class's perception of things. I can understand how the ruling class might, in their demented fantasies, see any challenge to their rule as a form of violence, but we don't have to play along. And second, what do you want "the vast number of activists" to do? Surround the window-smashers? Call the cops? And third, don't you agree that it helps the "vast number" of activists that there are some crazies around, to whom they can seem like reasonable alternatives?
Doug