> http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/01/books/bestseller/0801besthardnonfiction.html
This is really encouraging news! Yet another progressive politics bestseller. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.
I saw Frank speak last month and the gist of what he was arguing got me to thinking about Kansas politics and "red states." Carrol made a remark in another message about overcoming ignroance: "was a long struggle for the village party to create conditions which made it suddenly rational to be be courageous and know." It may take a long struggle to prime red state people to support a revolution, but we really aren't doing enough to simply reach them at a level to "get them to wake up." The American Left simply isn't doing much organizing out here in the heartland. That doesn't mean that union organizing and radicals don't exist in the town out here. But it does mean that nobody (that I know of) is going town to town out here.
Since I'm out here in Kansas, in red state terrority, I'd like to change this situation. I'm planning to participate in an anarchist speaking tour this fall which will hit cities and towns in the region. I'm also hoping to organize another anarchist speaking tour which will hit the smaller towns in the red states.
While many trends start in California, as Frank correctly points out, political trends start in Midwestern states like Kansas. Michael Moore understands this, which is why his PR folks clearly stated in the days after Fahrenheit 9/11's release that is had "played well in Peoria." I think that we need to devote more resources to reaching out to folks in the red states of middle America. We tedn to get too comfortable in our coastal lefty politics.
For nocoast anarchy,
Chuck0