[Peace-discuss] Disobedience...

[Morton K.Brussel]

Apropos of our little debate on civic disobedience related to the 
article of Justin Raimondo sent us by Carl, I attach two extracts for 
your reflection, one by Paul Street (from Chicago) and another by John 
Pilger (from England). The complete articles, passionate as they are, 
resonated with me.

Mort B.

Excerpted from www.zmag.org/ZNET.htm:

Moments of Truth, Masters of War by Paul  Street
March 18, 2003

It is a moment of truth for the citizens of the western democracies. We 
are free to express our opposition to the plans of the warmongers 
without fear of being shot or incarcerated. But how shall express our 
dissent in the wake of the decision for "war" (massacre)? Shall we 
remain content to write letters to our public officials? Shall we stay 
pleased to write letters to the editor and to draft opinion-editorials 
for the newspapers? Should we be satisfied to write, perform and 
applaud protest songs? To write articles in the alternative press and 
for antiwar web-sites and to speak at antiwar teach-ins and 
demonstrations? To hand out buttons, collect signatures, send out 
mailings, construct e-mail lists, and identify protest targets? To 
target pro-war politicians for removal from office? To march and chant 
and hand out flyers in peaceful demonstrations?

We have done all of these things and much more and we shall continue. 
Much has been accomplished and remains to be done through these 
timeworn means. But the Masters of War and Empire and Propaganda are 
undeterred by reasonable mass citizen action. Bush has dismissed 
responding to the many millions in the streets as "governing by focus 
groups."

The Masters are determined to carry out their hideous crimes in our 
name, regardless of what we say and feel. We have spoken truth to power 
and power has refused to hear. We have said, "Please Sir, listen" to 
the illegitimate Dull Boy President, surrounded by his neo-fascist 
"posse," and he has responded with authoritarian disdain. The decision 
for "war" (massacre) has been made, we are told, and now it is time for 
us to go home and line-up obediently behind the bluebloods who alone 
are fit to make policy, grateful that we were benevolently granted the 
right to express our opinion. "Support our troops."

"The president, who's wanted war with Iraq all along," notes New York 
Times columnist Bob Herbert today, "has been unwilling to listen 
seriously to anyone with an opposing view." Further: "Mr. Bush has 
remained unmoved by the millions of protestors against the war who have 
demonstrated in the United States and around the world. If anyone of 
these millions has had something worthwhile to say, the president 
hasn't acknowledged it...The president's mind was made up long ago and 
all the chatter of pro and con was just so much smoke. Mr. Bush will 
have his war."

It all brings many supporters of peace and justice to a very different 
moment of truth than the sort contemplated by Bush. It brings us to the 
point where we are compelled to embrace extra-legal direct action and 
open civil unrest to undo the new slaughterhouse of Empire.

Paul Street ( < mailto:pstreet at cul-chicago.org > 
pstreet at cul-chicago.org) is a writer, social policy researcher and 
teacher in Chicago ,Illinois .

Disobey by John Pilger:

There is only one form of opposition now: it is civil disobedience 
leading to what the police call civil unrest. The latter is feared by 
undemocratic governments of all stripes.

The revolt has already begun. In January, Scottish train drivers 
refused to move munitions. In Italy, people have been blocking dozens 
of trains carrying American weapons and personnel, and dockers have 
refused to load arms shipments. US military bases have been blockaded 
in Germany, and thousands have demonstrated at Shannon which, despite 
Ireland's neutrality, is being used by the US military to refuel its 
planes en route to Iraq.

"We have become a threat, but can we deliver?" asked Jessica Azulay and 
Brian Dominick of the American resistance movement. "Policy-makers are 
debating right now whether or not they have to heed our dissent. Now we 
must make it clear to them that there will be political and economic 
consequences if they decide to ignore us."

My own view is that if the protest movement sees itself as a world 
power, as an expression of true internationalism, then success need not 
be a dream. That depends on how far people are prepared to go. The 
young female employee of the Gloucestershire-based top-secret 
Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), who was charged this 
month with leaking information about America's dirty tricks operation 
on members of the Security Council, shows us the courage required.

In the meantime, the new Mussolinis are on their balconies, with their 
virtuoso rants and impassioned insincerity. Reduced to wagging their 
fingers in a futile attempt to silence us, they see millions of us for 
the first time, knowing and fearing that we cannot be silenced.



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