[Peace-discuss] Congrats to PRC

[Joan Nelshoppen]

I want to commend the Progressive Resource Action Cooperative for pulling 
together a superb and wonderful rally yesterday.  They gathered THIRTY 
co-sponsoring groups together and did a tremendous amount of organizing to 
bring together 1200 anti-war protestors at this difficult time.  This was a 
tremendous show of strength for the peace movement as well as a chance for 
the thousand+ there to hear inspirational speakers and be energized in work 
that is not easy.  Thank you PRC for all of your hard work!!!

I think there is much confusion about the events that followed PRC's great 
peace rally.  The rally moved from the quad to Goodwin and Green which is a 
great location for vehicles and pedestrians passing by to see the massive 
amount of people (still in the 100s - probably 500 or so) there lining the 
sidewalks.    What a great show of force it would have been if we could 
have continued to hold our banners and chant peacefully.

Here is where I see what happened as completely different from Robert's 
account.   When SPA could not rally enough crowds for their planned march 
they duped the crowds that were there for the PRC rally into going into the 
streets and being civilly disobedient.  One could easily argue that SPA 
planned their event for just after the PRC rally so they would have someone 
to show up for it.  In other words they capitalized on another group's very 
hard work.

Civil disobedience can be very powerful but it should be planned 
carefully.  I think there were probably quite a few marchers who weren't 
planning on breaking laws.  Shouldn't they have known what they were 
getting into?  What if it had turned ugly?  Were security and planning and 
a route even in place?   Social change comes about not from random events 
but from very hard work and organizing and organizing that is never seen by 
the masses.  Witness the lunch counter sit-ins in Nashville.  Read Bill 
Moyer's Doing Democracy for a deeper analysis.

I am not (yet) a member of the PRC.  But I truly admire the wonderful event 
they pulled together yesterday.  Congratulations!!

Joan