I am trying to figure out which planet Corn (and O'Reilly?) and the ANSWER bashers go to rallies on. I think Corn is right: WWP is basically a tiny faction. Around here, it's the same 25-30 people at EVERY event, and I mean EVERY event. These people show up ALL THE TIME, at their own rallies, in small numbers at the "well-meaning church throngs fills the streets" events, and on cold wet rainy pukey days when even some of the hard-core garbage bag raincoat crowd cowers under cover. They are more stalwart than the Jehovah's Witnesses distributing the Watchtower.
The DIFFERENCE is that a lot of times they show up ALONE and more rarely a lot of other people show up too. WWP's occasional fleeting moments of brilliant insight cannot overcome their proficiency for "preaching to the choir." Their speakers have about the same distribution of useful information and capacity to bore people senseless as most rally speakers. Other people do not show up due to the WWP's brilliant organizing success. They show up of their own volition out of their own concerns. At best, WWP may have been one of several catalyzing circumstances.
Moreover, WHO CARES who organizes events as long as they happen? Saying WWP defines the peace movement is a little bit like saying Skull and Bones Yalies rule the world. The former is pretty incredible at its face; if there's any truth to the latter, we might never find out unless people like Corn look up from Commie bashing, so "last century," and check out real problems. As for myself, maybe I'll worry more about Skull and Bones....
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