TOWARD A MAXIMUM ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT

[Marta Russell]

>At 12:32 PM -0600 1/14/03, Carrol Cox wrote:
>>Marta Russell wrote:
>>>  Yes, same person.  I know he has a radical background and is a fine
>>  > activist but everything seems to be toned down these days.  No one
>>>  wants to offend the police, no chances taken, no Starbucks windows
>>>  thing you know.
>>>  marta
>>
>>Marta, Besides "toned-down" old radicals, we _also_ (and crucially) have
>>new _about-to-become-radicals_, and we can't lead them into traps.
>>(Jerry Rubin at least, and probably other "leaders" in the '60s, _did_
>>lead new people  into traps, on the assumption that getting beat up
>>would be a wonderfully radicalizing experience. But Jerry Rubin was a
>>shithead from the beginning -- so judged even by people who spent time
>>in jail with him.)
>
>If a huge number of demonstrators really, really want to take 
>chances, offend the police, break stuff, or what have you, they can 
>and will do it, whatever rally organizers or "peace marshals" or 
>others might say or do.  If the crowd who want to take chances, 
>offend the police, break stuff, etc. are too small to overwhelm and 
>override the rally organizers, "peace marshals," etc., they are too 
>few to overwhelm and override the police.
>--
>Yoshie
>

It would seem more productive to have a target action, to demand 
something from someone, to occupy a building, to get something done 
rather than to just show up and march in the streets. So many people 
and nothing concrete comes of it.  Guess that is my complaint. 
Carol, this answers your question earlier as to what else could I 
expect? I could expect people to sit in Senator Feinstein's office 
until she agrees to our position, for instance.  But I sense a 
timidity from the older organizers for anything but symbolic action.

marta
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