[lbo-talk] "Islamofascism Awareness Week"

[ravi]

On 24 Oct, 2007, at 13:01 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:
> On Oct 24, 2007, at 11:20 AM, ravi wrote:
>
>> He did not go
>> crusading into their midst, a la Dawkins, whaling on about how
>> childish their beliefs are, etc. That's the point!
>
> It is? Who would do that?
>

I just said who does: Richard Dawkins! Or Hitchens. Michael Lerner is  
a rabbi, yes? If so, I presume he believes the stuff.

Just between you and me, though, in my old age I too am getting  
impatient with everything. By next month, I plan to switch my  
position on most issues, as expressed on LBO thus far.


On 24 Oct, 2007, at 13:11 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:
>>
>> On Oct 24, 2007, at 11:40 AM, ravi wrote:
>>
>>> But I knowingly participate in funding a
>>> government that carries that out
>>
>> Become a tax protester, go to jail. That'll stop the war machine!
>>
>> What, really, do you expect 5-10% of the population can do? "We could
>> have stopped them!" is weirdly grandiose.
>>

So why do you do the radio show? Or write books that hardly reach  
more than the same 10% and make you no money? I propose you do so  
because you understand, deep down, that we cannot compute our way to  
massive change (*). 5-10% of the population cannot do things i.,e  
things the effects of which are immediately obvious. But act we must,  
because the consequences are not necessarily linear. Small things set  
off large movements... and so on...

	--ravi


(*) I have to modify that: we have to both compute our way and also  
commit ourselves to what our conscience tells us is right (sorry if  
that sounds preachy!). Hence my inability to jump on the Dem-hating  
though I frequently find M.Smith and Carrol's arguments convincing.  
But if all we do is vote for Dems, or post to LBO, or renew our  
membership to AI, then we have done far less than we could do.