> Chuck,
>
> You, and others, gripe about the tactics of mass, legal demonstration of UFPJ and ANSWER,
however you cannot articulate anything that would be comparable in impact.
I've articulated what I think would be more effective in numerous emails over the years. Earlier today I pointed to the Mobilization for Global Justice as one example of an organization that is much better than ANSWER. Somebody pointed out that UFPJ did organize civil disobedience today and they highlight something which makes UFPJ much better than ANSWER.
Again, I think a multifaceted movement of movements, modeled on the anti-globalization movements, would be the most effective form of dissent against the war. Even better, why have an artificial separation of anti-war vs. anti-globalization and just support a movement of movements. This network and movement of movements could be more effective than one movement which tries to wedge everybody's politics and concerns into one monocultural movement, unfortunately led by default by an organization which is a one trick pony.
> As far as civil disobedience is concerned, I fail to see how the ritualized "c.d" we
have grown used to over the past 30 years can serve to built a movement,
It seems to
me such things drain the movement of effort and expenses to pay for
legal defense.
So you have activists sitting down on a sidewalk and get arrested? They can then
brag that they got arrested this year at Livermore ,or where ever, and
feel good they made a personal statement. That is a far cry from the civil disobedience of the
civil rights movement which, above all, MASS actions and deadly serious - with risks to life and limb. The point was to fill the jails and create an untenable situation for the local authorities that would compel a change. With thousands of people willing to do that, it could - and did - work.
Right, it could work and it might be a bit more empowering for us and discomfiting to the other side. The drain of legal defenses is something that is understood by veteran organizers. You want to be very discrete about when and where you use CD. One thing I like about black blocs and tactics such as unarresting is that you can do more stuff and get away with it.
> .
> I agree with the historian Deutscher that a good dock strike against a war is
preferable to demonstrations. But the unions aren't ready for that. A mass civil disobedience of 100,000 people to block the transport of troops or of war equipment would be great, and I would wholeheartedlysupport that. But we don't have those 100,000 people either.
A good dock strike would be awesome, but the only thing stopping that is the unions and the politics involved. The people and resources are there, but the business unions are like the Democrats: they are part of the problem, not the solution.
Chuck