[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Organize!

Mon Jul 15 01:46:30 UTC 2013

Wayne is one of the few who can quote sacred texts - in this case The Firesign Theatre - in aid of unconventional political reflection.

When most of such reflection is carried on within the Limits of Allowable Debate, it's important to pay attention to what he says. 

For example, he is unquestionably right when he says "Zimmerman [for all his crimes] is part of the 99%.  What social good is there if Occupy! pursues the 99%?  Zimmerman sure 'nuf ain't part of the 1%, now is he?" 

When many of those who condemn the Zimmerman decision continue to support Obama (like Melissa Harris-Perry), Wayne is surely right when he calls Zimmerman, "Low hanging fruit for social reformers."

"The challenge for OCCUPY! [and for all those who pride themselves on 'being on the Left']  is to see the man behind the curtain and go after him."

"Fight Racism!" - because you don't dare fight Neoliberalism and its chief minion's global assasinations? That's a counsel of despair.

As another Sacred Text (which Wayne would recognize) puts it,  

"1. You may never get to touch the Master, but you can tickle his creatures.
"2. The innocence of the creatures is in inverse proportion to the immorality of the Master.
"3. If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about answers.
"4. You hide, they seek.
"5. Paranoids are not paranoid because they're paranoid, but because they keep putting themselves, fucking idiots, deliberately into paranoid situations."
[Proverbs for Paranoids, from Gravity's Rainbow (1973)]

--CGE

On Jul 14, 2013, at 7:50 PM, "E. Wayne Johnson 朱稳森" <ewj at pigsqq.org> wrote:

> Absolutely Zimmerman was functioning as a sort of vigilante
> doing a community watch.  I would agree that this sort of 
> community patrolling by civilian is a variety of vigilante-ism
> and is bound to lead ultimately to conflict between the watcher
> and those watched.  The community watcher has all of the 
> responsibility of a cop but not the authority of one.
> 
> Vigilantes like Zimmerman are not subject to the rules that 
> may sometimes restrain the police.  I would not count on those rules
> in Florida.  One of my friends a white guy got the literal piss beat out
> of him by a Florida cop.  He was profiled by his out-of-state
> license plate.  The only thing for him to do was to get his ass
> the hell out of Florida and tend his bruises.
> 
> Profiling is applied epidemiology, a narrowing of the use of resources.
> Similar knowledge about rats stopped the black plague.
> (Now, that IS an unfortunate analogy!)
> 
> Does this sort of talk stress you out?
> Go to the root cause.  
> 
> Profiling is an inevitable part of surveillance.
> Who among us likes surveillance?
> Where there is a perceived threat there is bound 
> to be surveillance.  In applied epidemiology it is
> sometimes called HACCP (hazard analysis/critical control point).
> 
> Since the George Zimmermen and the Deputy Dawgs of
> the world do not stop and cavity search every person,
> there is profiling to establish probable cause.  
> Zimmerman made a Terry Stop.  Do we like Terry Stops?
> 
> Look at her.  She's groovy.  Yeah.  Check out that
> spade.  He's groovy.  Yeah all spades are groovy.
> Look at that.  She's not groovy.  Uh huh.
> Check out her body paint. 
> An oldie.  Faded San Franscisco art nouveau.
> Check out her stash.  Aspirin.
> Send her in.
> 
> *
> 
> From my perspective, y'all are pursuing George because he
> is one of many white carpenters in an perceived army of Zimmerpersons.
> Easy pickin's.  Low hanging fruit for social reformers.
> 
> From my perspective, Martin and Zimmerman (good Mennonite names, eh?) are
> both part of the 99%.  Zimmerman is part of the 99%.  What social good is
> there if Occupy! pursues the 99%?  Zimmerman sure 'nuf ain't part of the 
> 1%, now is he?
> 
> Go ahead and lynch Zimmerman.  He's one of y'all.
> Not because he is white or black or a rat or a flea or 
> Yersinia pestis.
> 
> The challenge for OCCUPY! (as I see it) is to see the man
> behind the curtain and go after him.
> 
> Some of y'all seem intent on joining the media circus.  
> Enjoy your bread (or is it 'crackers'?) 
> they supply you, but surely there
> has got to be something better and more useful.
> 
> *
> You say vigilante as if it is a bad thing.  
> OCCUPY! is a vigilante organization if it is anything at all.
> 
> What?  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 07/15/13 6:56, Niloofar Shambayati wrote:
>> 
>> Zimmerman is a vigilante and nothing else.  His suspicion was based on making assumptions based on a bigoted racial profiling that puts NYPD to shame, which in turn easily led to murdering Trayvon. Negative profiling directly leads to either dehumanizing the other or taking their individuality away from them. In either case, you see one mass of the same thing, the way Nazis portrayed the Jews, the way most Israeli Jews view the Palestinians, and the way our troops commit horrible acts of violence against Afghans and Iraqis. Thus for a hateful Zimmerman, Trayvon was just a profile, a microscopic part of the mass of "good-for--nothing, dangerous young black men."  The vegetarian, animal-rights woman, who I am, uses the same logic, when encountering a fly or a mosquito that bothers me and justifies its killing.
>> 
>> The people who profile Trayvon's parents as "blood-thirsty/greedy" black people, are no better than Zimmerman 
>> 
>> Niloofar
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 10:31 AM, "E. Wayne Johnson 朱稳森" <ewj at pigsqq.org> wrote:
>> The Martin/Zimmerman incident is not like the 
>> Champaign Police shootings of young black men.
>> 
>> Zimmerman may be an asshole or not.  I am not sure.
>> Most but not all cops and wannabee cops are 
>> indeed quasi-assholes.  Not all.
>> 
>> But clearly Zimmerman was attacked, and on that basis he 
>> has been set free, because of the self-defense argument.
>> The cause of the dispute betwen Martin and Zimmerman
>> becomes irrelevant when Zimmerman is attacked.
>> 
>> It's not like Zimmerman just pulled out his gun and 
>> Oba-nam Style executed him because he was wearing a hoodie.
>> The law permits people to have encounters and disagreement.
>> When it erupts into physical violence particularly life-threatening
>> violence, then a line is crossed.  The situation was
>> examined very clearly.
>> 
>> Justice my ass.
>> It's not justice that they are crying for.  
>> It's blood.
>> They want an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth
>> They want blood for bloodshed.
>> 
>> Well, actually what they want is Money.
>> 
>> But since there isn't any money available,
>> they'll settle for a few pints of blood,
>> and several ounces of testicular flesh if that
>> becomes available.
>> 
>> It is really a disgusting distraction for a noble movement
>> like Occupy! to get down and grub for cooties
>> with the blood-lust crowd.
>> 
>> 
>> On 07/14/13 22:02, Karen Aram wrote:
>>> 
>>> Rachel
>>>  
>>> After today's AWARE meeting at 5:00, I will be attending the protest, bringing a neighbor as well. 
>>> Trayvon Marvin represents the many young black men from Emmet Till, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Robert Hall etc., etc. murdered because of their race, with the perpetrators so obviously being acquitted by unjust laws and or decisions.  
>>>  
>>> Karen Aram
>>>  
>>> From: rachelstrm at gmail.com
>>> Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 03:51:39 -0500
>>> To: sdas-current at googlegroups.com; sdas-list at googlegroups.com; occupyCU at lists.chambana.net; peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net; peace at anti-war.net
>>> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Organize!
>>> 
>>> Hey folks---If anyone has heard of another demo being planned, I'm happy to send notices out, cancel this one, and redirect people there. I've contacted a number of African-American led organizations in town and can't seem to tell if something is already in the works. Either way, I'm happy to help try and get the word out and then redirect if need be.
>>> 
>>> Okay, here's what I got to start. https://www.facebook.com/events/206857249471575/?context=create
>>> 
>>> Please forward widely. 
>>> 
>>> No Justice, No Peace x Protest the Verdict
>>> Sunday, July 14th, 2013 | 6pm-8pm
>>> Douglass Park | 512 E. Grove St. Champaign
>>> "George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager, igniting a national debate on racial profiling and civil rights, was found not guilty late Saturday night of second-degree murder." We will stand together in Champaign-Urbana to demand accountability, to stand against racial injustice, and to protest the verdict that proved the injustice of the system. We stand with Trayvon’s family and we know that we are called to act---to fight for civil rights and for the removal of Stand Your Ground laws in every state, and we will not rest until racial profiling in all its forms is outlawed. Today we mourn, but tomorrow we organize. #blacklivesmatter
>>> 
>>> Bring your friends, your family, your children, your neighbors. We stand together as a community--all of us. Art, protest signs, candles, and messages of outrage/hope/love/solidarity are encouraged. 
>>> Share on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/206857249471575/?context=create
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Sun, Jul 14, 2013 at 2:36 AM, Rachel Storm <rachelstrm at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> I think we need an emergency demonstration tomorrow in response to the Zimmerman verdict to show that Urbana community members/activists/folks in solidarity do not stand for this outrageous demonstration of injustice.
>>> 
>>> Can we plan to meet somewhere very public tomorrow (Sunday) at 6pm-ish?
>>> 
>>> WHERE?
>>> 
>>> Rachel
>>> 
>>> 
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>>> 
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>>>   
>> 
>> 
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>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> Niloofar
>> 
> 
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