> The same is true today. Hundreds of
>thousands of people can take to the streets to denounce the Bush junta as
>war criminals, but as long as they limit their protests to shouting slogans,
>carrying signs, and engaging in harmless agitprop, the junta is safe and it
>can disregard the protests. As we have seen.
well, i don't mean limiting it to the current form of protest. i can see where my use of "vocal" indicated that to you. how 'bout this: the only thing that stops them is fighting them? dig it? and fighting them _has_ to take place on many fronts, and in many ways, always on the move.
but get back to what prompts this discussion, because that is what i'm objecting to.
why do people want to see more carnage--on either side? why do we need more gore to convince people that the US military machine sucks? why do we need more US troops dead (and twice-five time as many iraqi troops most likely)?
the reason presented here seems to be
1. more civilian deaths vindicates the criticism that war is not the answer, that it harms innocents. (that is, it's ok to kick solider ass in the name of US domination in Iraq) <--I disagree!
2. more US troops deaths (which seem inextricable to Iraqi deaths to me) will means ordinary Americans will get pissed off and take to the streets. That's nice 'n' all, but I don't see how this is particularly advanced in terms of leftist goals. And, if you say that you're simply agaisnt war, then I don't see what people pissed off on a single issue does for us.
And, utlimately, in any case the reasoning usually goes like this: we have to radicalize consciences as they appear. Which is what all of the protesting, writing, teach ins, etc. are about, that and engaging people in other forms of political pratice--which I define far more broadly.
we, i think, have to press forward for a more radical critique of state policy and more radical actions against it. we have to til the soil because this war might not last a long time, but the hostilities will, and so will the blowback.
i don't buy revolutionary defeatism. i fail to see what wish horrors on people does for radicalism.
kelley