[Peace-discuss] Flag issues

[Bob Illyes]

Hi Joe.

You may have missed some of the flag-related posts because some
were sent to Peace rather than PeaceDiscuss, where they should
have been sent.

I too agree with Bob and Tom.

There are two camps at AWARE:

1) If you're not offending the other side, you're not making
a difference.

2) If you're not building bridges to the other side, you're not
making a difference.

Camp one measures its success in terms of how many people it makes
angry. This camp tends to be anti-American (thinks that America is
one of the worst countries on earth), and is profoundly pessimistic
about democracy and the ability of ordinary people to make correct
decisions, even if they possess all relevant facts, i.e., it is
elitist. But have no fear- the world will be saved if enough
people are in a rage.....  Right. By what mechanism, I ask. By the
magic of Hegelian dialectic, perhaps?

Camp two measures its success in terms of how many civil but substantive
conversations it's had with people who disagree with it. This is the
larger group in AWARE. If it ever ceases to be the larger group, I
will leave AWARE, because it will have become part of the problem rather
than part of the solution.

Please don't expect one voice from AWARE regarding the flag- it isn't
possible.

Bob