[Peace-discuss] What, then...

[C. G. Estabrook]

Contemplating the remarkable complacency with which people
seem to be regarding the plans of the madmen running our
government for an attack on Iran -- an attack contrary to the
US Constitution (even the War Powers Resolution doesn't
justify it), the UN Charter (Article 51), and the Nuremberg
principles (on the grounds of which we hanged Germans leaders
after WWII) -- I began to think, Suppose an attack is
announced: where do we assemble in this town to protest?  

We have no obvious public square.  (Our democracy is so
eviscerated that here the phrase refers to a radio program.) 
The places that symbolize the federal government are in the
federal city, Washington, or in its neighborhood (the
Pentagon), so perhaps the thing to do is to flood that city. 
There seems little sense in demonstrating locally at places
associated with state or local government.

I could think of four places that might represent the federal
government in Champaign-Urbana:
	--the joint military recruiting office at 1615 W.
        Springfield Ave. Champaign;
	--the federal court house at 201 S. Vine Urbana;
	--the FBI office at 116 N. Chestnut Champaign; and
	--our Congressional representative's office at 2004
        Fox Drive Champaign.

Of the four, only Johnson's office seems a reasonable
possibility, and it's (no doubt purposely) out of the way. 
Downtown [sic] Champaign or Urbana (perhaps by the IMC) seem
fairly pointless.  Maybe the UI quad is the best place to
exercise our "right ... peaceably to assemble, and to petition
the Government for a redress of grievances" in such an event.
But it seems a bit silly.  Thoughts?   --CGE