Bush protesters rethink tactics

[Kadie]

Bush protesters rethink tactics
Critics hope to move beyond self-satisfaction of anti-war protests, gain wider voting base
Joe Garofoli, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, January 16, 2005


To show their disgust with George W. Bush's re-election, on Inauguration Day, his opponents will turn their back on his motorcade, "refuse to spend one dime," black out their Web sites, stage mock jazz funerals, wear black armbands and stage demonstrations from Palo Alto to Atlanta.

But four years of such Bush-bashing theatrics didn't produce a change in November. And with Republicans controlling Congress and the White House, some of the president's most vocal critics have spent the past two post-election months making plans on how to begin preaching beyond the choir box, starting Thursday.

Bottom line: less emphasis on mass demonstrations -- which Bush famously dismissed as "focus groups" -- and more on reaching out to Americans who oppose the war but haven't publicly shown it.

"We've got to start reaching out to people who don't agree with us," said Leslie Cagan, United for Peace's national coordinator. In its recent short- term plan, the 850-organization umbrella behind many of the nation's larger protests over the past few years conceded that "the anti-war movement must reshape its work."

more...
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/01/16/MNGVQARAEG1.DTL

[MisterP]

1. the article has something of a snippy tone: reminds me of Blair attacking

anti-IMF protesters as self-absorbed self-satisfied airheaded little nits

[bemildred]

2. Aw, c'mon, why should we be better than the MSM?

How can you stoop below the Swift Boat Liars?

[Dr Fate]

3. Why the fuck do we always tell the media our tactics?

Just DO IT- dont tell the fucking enemy about it.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Amen to that. How often do we read about right-wing plans?

Why not just clear it all with the Republicans first?

Please allow me to park this new link I just found here! Maybe you've never heard of religious tattoos! I know I haven't.



A Web site devoted to Judeo-Christian body art.
http://www.religioustattoos.net/

[Judi Lynn]

4. Here's something unexpected!

The group just hired the Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, a Pentecostal minister in New York, to lead its outreach effort to places United for Peace believes will be critical to reaching a wider audience: the nation's churches, synagogues and mosques.

In the next few weeks, Sekou will release what he calls a kit to help religious leaders craft Sunday sermons against the war, form anti-war groups among their followers and preach to children.

"We need to break the monopoly on 'God talk' the religious right has in this country," Sekou said.

Who would have imagined they could get someone so deeply within the fundamentalist world to help?

[w4rma]

10. Are you familiar with Rev. Sekou?

Or are you just assuming that because he's a Christian preacher that he's also "deep within the fundamentalist world"?

I'm hoping that you aren't making false assumptions.

[Judi Lynn]

12. No, never heard of him before reading this article.

I made that hasty judgement simply on a basis of what I have known about Pentecostal churches within my own line of sight throughout my life, and discussions with some of their members.

[bettyellen]

17. he's not in the least bit fundie...... he is also exec director of

NYC's Common Ground, an interfaith movement trying to take back the debate from relious conservatives ......

"Given the high levels poverty and disenfranchisement in our nation, the
outcome of presidential elections has changed the need for progressive
communities of faith to organize on the behalf of "the least of theses".
Equally, religious conservatism is not representative of all people of
faith. These noted scholars and theologians will discuss the prophetic
tradition of religion in America, the power of the Religious Right, the
War in Iraq, poverty in America, and exploring the next steps for the
progressive community of faith in American politics. A book signing will
follow the panel.
snip
New York Common Ground's mission is engage clergy and congregations in
social and economic justice activism and work towards the development of
an interfaith social justice theology. In partnership with the National
Hip Hop Political Convention, New York Common Ground's New Voter
Development Project assisted in the registration of over 13,000 young
people of color in New York City. In January 2005, New York Common
Ground will be offering: Seminar on Social Justice, Religion, and
Activism;"

http://lists.indymedia.org/pipermail/imc-nyc-print/2004-November/1111-0g.html

[blm]

5. The mainstream media never SHOWED the massive protests when they happened.

Yet they want to claim that people were turned off by the protests against Bush? What HORSESHIT. This is pure CON ARTIST journalism.

The article left out that the GOP controls MOST OF THE MEDIA and MOST OF THE VOTING MACHINES!

The media is absolving itself of all its crimes of collusion with the GOP in articles like this.

DON'T BUY THIS CRAP!

[TahitiNut]

9. IN(f*cking)DEED! Just more pretentious crap from the Corporatist Media.

[indigobusiness]

13. Exactly. People of conscience are turned off by lies, not the ugly truth,

and celebrate the exposing of them...however and whenever.

[Peace Patriot]

15. blm: "The mainstream media never SHOWED the massive protests..."

and "The media is absolving itself of all its crimes of collusion...".

You are so right on!

I stopped reading these goddamned war profiteers on Nov.3.

They don't even bother to follow simple logic from one sentence to the next any more.

For instance:

"...more (emphasis) on reaching out to Americans who oppose the war but haven't publicly shown it."

Next sentence:

"'We've got to start reaching out to people who don't agree with us,' said Leslie Cagan, United for Peace's national coordinator."

-----------------

Question: Is Leslie Cagan reaching out to people who support the war, or oppose the war? In fact, does Leslie Cagan support the war?

(Hint: "Americans who oppose the war" = "people who don't agree with us".)

----------------

I can't tell you how often I've come across just plain illogic like this in the millionaire press--and it seems especially to be found, like one of those corrosive globs that eat away at the innards of the Starship Enterprise--in articles about Bush and war . BushConism is frying peoples' brains. It is disconnecting one brain cell one from another. There is SO MUCH illogic in the delusion of democracy that they are trying to create--so many "Through the Looking Glass" upside down- and inside out-isms, and wrongness, and lies, and propaganda, and brainwashing--that professional journalists and others caught up in that delusion are having trouble simply thinking straight.

It's not just the garbage they're saying--"But four years of such Bush-bashing theatrics didn't produce a change in November."--what the hell does that mean? what is its basis in reality?--it's THE WAY they are THINKING. And it's the PREMISES that they begin with.

Premise: Produce a hit piece on protesters, just prior to Jan. 20. Now, what new angle can you find to do it from? Aha! protest is old hat. Protest is worthless, freaky, left wing, "turns people off," not worth the trouble, big groups are going into churches instead and are no longer "preaching to the choir"...ahem, logic? logic?...but are reaching out to...whom? the people who agree with us? the people who disagree with us? (who cares?)

When you twist your brain doing things like this often enough, you lose the use of the parts of your brain that God gave you to evaluate Nazi propaganda with.

[gorbal]

6. Conservatives control the media "THAT is the problem"

Work on supporting a media that puts protestors and their causes in a positive light, instead of one that seeks to degrade them.

The problem isn't what we are doing, it is how we are being portrayed.

Edit: I do agree, however, that having 80 different issues addressed in each protest gets confusing. And I'm not completely against socialism in its Democratic form but to have all anti-war rallies dotted with boothes abut socialism looks really suspicious.

Perhaps instead of avoiding such protests Democratic groups might consider joining them so that people don't go away thinking it is all just one group that opposed the war.

[sunnystarr]

8. So why not pool resources of millions like us out there ...

and support a new TV station that tells the truth. I believe the movement toward this already has started and if everyone send in a little each month it can be supported. Also why not have a weekly paper that tells the truth on the net ready to printed out and distributed in each neighborhood? There are millions of us and we can help spread the word.

[Vincardog]

11. Great Idea Sunny why not ask to form a group? You get a STAR for the

thought :yourock: :yourock:

[sunnystarr]

20. I'm not sure how to do that ...

but I'm ready to help anyway I can!

[noamnety]

14. The tv thread is over here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=2945559&mesg_id=2945559

[gorbal]

19. I've given already

There are already networks and shows out there that need support. Call your local PBS and ask for tem to show "Democracy Now" or call you Cable Provider and ask for Free Speech TV and INdTV.

http://www.freespeech.org/fsitv/fscm2/genx.php?name=home

http://www.indtv.net/index.html

http://www.democracynow.org/

[FizzFuzz]

16. I posted this in November!

What We need is Democratic News Network!!http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2632024

Same wavelength here!!

There was a thread recently about Soros deciding it was time to kick big $$$ into the movement; there was talk about pushing for buying a network there too. I can't find the link, thought I saved it...hmm

OK, got it: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1146462

[JohnOneillsMemory]

18. Fire with fire: grass roots churches, media jobs, reach out to military.

The mass protests have helped to show that they are mainstream Americans , not 'diry commie pinkos', which was the perception before the 60s and kept many from even voicing rebellious opinions privately.

The mass protests also confirmed consensus, millions agree with us.
(personal testimony: I used to tour the US with bands and I put anti-war anti-* stickers on my tool case. Every morning when I loaded into a new theater with a crew of 15 local guys waiting to help unload the truck and set-up, I planted my message-laden tool kit on the stage like planting a flag. Guys would come up to me privately and rant against the neo-con assholes and say "damn! I thought I was the only one who thought that!" Having broken the ice, I then gave them the hard facts that reinforced their attitudes. The crew would then ALL agree out loud with me at the end of the night as we loaded the trucks back up that they hated *. Examples of courage and outrage are contagious. Be that example every where you go.)

These are MAJOR stepping stones to educating the public to the fantasy 'American Dream' that is hiding the reality of the American Nightmare.

Educating the people who have been taken in by the propaganda matrix is the next crucial step, not dismissing them as the 'stupid evil others.'

Put your efforts into INFORMING TV NATION, not just contemptuous sloganeering. Back up your bumper stickers with facts.