[Peace-discuss] Effective actions

[pfmueth at ameritech.net]

At 4:09 PM -0400 2/19/03, jencart wrote:
>Hi Frustrated Grievers,
>
>Share yr feelings totally, but believe best protests are about 
>effective action.  They aren't about us and our personal need to 
>vent. 
>
>I DO support leafleting on Parkland and U of I campuses, and 
>e-mailing/faxing/phoning members of UN (esp now) and Congress. 
>Yeah, not that drammatic, but maybe more effective......
>
>I do NOT support leafleting @  Market Place Mall and getting evicted 
>(or worse.)  Just can't see the point,

The point is to reach more diverse people, other than campus 
dwellers, where, by the way, work does need to be done judging from 
comments made by a few undergrads at the "world on the brink" forum a 
few nights ago .. .


>and I don't think you'll really get--in the long run--the emotional 
>release y're looking for......

I agree that doing an action for some sort of emotional release and 
related motivations is wrong and counterproductive.
I think that reaching out to folks who would be difficult to reach 
in other ways, highlighting the depolitization  of society and lack 
of popular discussion of critical issues and the media attention to 
the seriousness of the war that might be gained make discussion of 
this tactic important.

>and it needn't be done in secret, as this is a completely nonviolent 
>and arguably something that shouldn't be illegal, perhaps one could 
>consider  asking Marketplace officials for a free speech area

I don't think they would agree, offhand
Ricky , I think you said you hand some experience with leafleting in 
a prohibited area in a union struggle, something that is more 
directly in their face than opposing gov't action

>See you @ the Non-Violence Workshop this w/e.....

I hope you can raise this tactic at the workshop and report back on 
Sunday and to the list.