On Wed, 4 Sep 2002, Chuck Munson wrote:
> > I always figured you were but really, Chuck, I think you of all people
> > should be extremely leery of using metaphors like that. When your
> > closest allies misinterpret you on an issue of central importance,
> > you're expressly yourself badly.
>
> Yeah, kind of like saying "kill your landlord."
No, it's not all like that. Doug completely misinterpreted you, and afaict, he's your closest ally in the media by a country mile. As well as a shrewd reader who has always been sympathetic to your actions.
The real value of the symbolic value of violence -- your most important point in this oft-recurring debate -- depends in turn on a faith that you and your comrades in the bloc have a realistic grasp of the relatively clear line between useful and counterproductive violence. If you say things like "burn the convention center down" when you mean "break the windows at a local corporate headquarters," you completely destroy your position. You're essentially saying the opposite of what you mean on a crucial point. And saying it emphatically.
If you then sit back and say "Oh, hey, nobody could misunderstand that," you're disregarding the evidence before your eyes. If Doug can misunderstand you, 98% of the world will misunderstand you.
The reason I mention it is because in general I think you're an articulate propagandist for your cause. Which is why I'm surprised you don't see the importance of this point.
Michael