Two Things

[H2O Man]

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on this day in 1929. Recently I posted an essay advocating that good people put Dr. King's methods of protest into actions opposing ICE et al. I am convinced that this is a superior option when compared to agreeing to Stephen Miller's hope that we fight on the plain of Shinar. That, of course, would result in our country experiencing a version of “the Troubles.”

Two current DU members disagreed, suggesting that there may be a need for violence on that low plain. I understand that we are outraged, and that decent people can have such a reaction. I get that. But a couple of things come to mind. First is that such talk is easy, but that most of those advocating such a thing would shit their knickers if confronted by that reality, limiting their contributions to the shit hitting the fan.

Second is that over the decades that I have been politically active, those who advocate violent actions are rarely sincere members. Most are there with an agenda distinct from the group's goals. I've encountered , and exposed, a number of such individuals while active in both Native American and environmental advocacy. That was before the internet era, when connections to retired detectives were helpful in background checks. I enjoyed being able to either pull them aside, or exposing them in front of a group meeting.

The truth is that it is only by our using King's methods that the walls of the felon's tower will come crumbling down.


Part Two:
I think it is important to laugh at the administration at least once a day. Despite my adult children telling me that I have never made a funny joke purposely, in the evening I try to approach humor. I find it useful in responding to misinformation, disinformation, and/or attempts at perception management, such as the week-later claim the murderous thug suffered from internal bleeding. Thus, below is a short H2O News clip I shared on several internet sites. While the majority of people got it, there were a couple who asked, “Is this true?”

“White House officials are refusing to respond to reports that Stephen Miller was hospitalized last night after he was found screaming on the White House lawn. Unnamed sources tell H2O News that Miller was insisting that the planet earth must be re-named after the president. More, Miller reportedly screamed that the “purely natural orange glow of the president's face” is proof that he is the Sun King, and that all enemies must bow to the Sun King or be shot dead in their homes. The White House refused to answer questions about who is now in charge of the administration during Miller's hospitalization.”

[Stardust Mirror]

1. Agreed. And a 3rd thing..

Also people surrounding ICE "agents" and talking to them. Say stuff that might leak into their brains and rattle into their awareness later, like talking about the Constitution and due process.

And other people yelling at them. Making them slowly realize that the community hates them, and maybe some of their own family and "communities" began to push back from the ostracization they're also experiencing. Shame them for their cowardice, hiding faces and swapping license plates. Why do you have to hide your identity if what you're doing is legal and moral?

[bigtree]

2. organization is necessary to mount an effective resistance movement

...I'm really anxious watching frustrated folks drawn to the streets and placing themselves in front of the thugs just sent in to teach them a lesson about coming to the aid of their neighbors.

I don't like seeing folks picked of one by one like the protestors I saw today singled out and encircled in a classic mob action by ICE agents and beaten to the ground before hauling them off.

As I anguished watching them, not a bit of me desiring them to do that, I'm mindful of the dynamic that existed between Bayard Rustin's entreaties to direct action and MLK-style passive resistance, and not actually believing one approach would have succeeded without the other.

That's not to say that I advocate direct action against armed, armored government thugs, I don't.

But I do believe society (and the pols) pay more attention when the people engage in an actual uprising; both the civil rights era's and this one mostly organic and born out of genuine concern for their neighbors, communities, and their own liberty to come outside, as I saw last night in response to the explosions, smoke, and biological warfare being deployed in front of their own homes and being threatened further with their lives for complaining.

It's an inevitability in response to such tyrannical conduct, so much so that though it's hard to witness, it can feel cathartic to the desire most of us feel to reach out and touch these cretins who think they are the boss of us.

I saw a lot of young folks who are going to go through a load of changes as they fathom the degree of their individual power to effect the things they want. That's a lot of energy that can be channeled into real political power, but it should be understood that much of that energy is coming from folks responding viscerally instead of strategically, and that's just a consequence of who we are as humans, to the fate of all of us, including the fascists in our government.