I went to the most lame Move-on meeting tonight! and I'm pissed that they

[lonestarnot]

wasted my time! I swear there were plants to distract and waste time. A bunch of do nothing whiners is my take on that group. I will never attend another one of those damn things! I could have tagged 500 cars with the DSM memo in the time it took 6:30 - 8:30 to listen to them piss and moan and make no meaningful contribution. I'm not saying that the entire group was sap, but at least the ones that wasted most of the time whining. One even bitched because he wanted to change the "antiwar" protest name to something milder because we might alienate people who were pro fucking war! Unbelievable. I couldn't even get a list of those volunteering to freeway blog because they didn't want to be bothered and I had already been aggressive enough so I forfieted the volunteers. I didn't walk out, stayed until the end, but I will NEVER attend another!

[zapp]

1. You need to start another group!

[lonestarnot]

3. Yeah, I think that is the problem.... too many damn groups in every

going in every direction, no unity. Not one of those dumb asses would have the balls to sit in or disrupt or blog or on and on. All talk.

[Gman]

12. No direction or unity?

They damn sure are Democrats!

[murdoch]

26. groups and coalitions

It makes sense to try to find people who think similarly to you and who will work together in aa group. Then your group can work in coalitions. I would agree with you that no one in power cares about people sitting around and talking, that things like sit-ins are necessary. Also, I would say that the anti-war movement has to be large and organized, or self-organized.

I think large-scale organizations like MoveOn are good, but not everyone coming to a meeting is going to want to do a sit-in against the war, possibly leading to an arrest. Some people who come might be interested in that though, and you can talk to them.

I would like to work with labor solidarity locally, and there are a few groups who do that, but all of them are small and have problems. And I live in a big city. There is another group I work with, and am happy with, but it would be nice if there was a good labor solidarity group that wasn't just an adjunct of the AFL-CIO, and even the one that is isn't that active.

[blogslut]

2. Kind of like the Life of Brian, eh?

I been there. Went through that indecisive crap with the local peacemongers.

Judith: Here! I've got an idea: Suppose you agree that he can't actually have babies, not having a womb - which is nobody's fault, not even the Romans' - but that he can have the *right* to have babies.

Francis: Good idea, Judith. We shall fight the oppressors for your right to have babies, brother... sister, sorry.

Reg: What's the *point*?

Francis: What?

Reg: What's the point of fighting for his right to have babies, when he can't have babies?

Francis: It is symbolic of our struggle against oppression.

Reg: It's symbolic of his struggle against reality.

[lonestarnot]

4. That is precisely what it felt like! I am not dissuaded from my goal or

plan. I continue the fight, but without those dumb asses!

[anarchy1999]

5. Frustrating night. Don't give up. You are so way ahead. If you really

want to feel frustrated, come check out DALLAS.

Peace and chin up.

[lonestarnot]

7. Well I got even as soon as the meeting concluded, I doled out another

100 flyers! LOL

[ReverendDeuce]

6. I went to one meeting... once... and then they had the nerve to...

I went to one of these meetings. At the end of it, they had a the nerve to demand a donation! And I don't mean a polite collection tray at the exit. I mean it was an actual demand! If I recall, it was worded like this: "Thanks for coming. Now, we need everybody to give us a donation before they leave so we can pay for the space."

F that. If they asked for a donation up front, I might have been inclined -- but *telling* me I *had* to give a donation was just downright ridiculous.

I started to leave and one of the girls stopped me and asked if I donated. I said "No, thanks!" and she said that I *could not leave until I did*. So I said something like "Watch me..." and walked out the door.

That was just downright stupid of them to behave that way.

[lonestarnot]

8. They asked for a donation at this one too, not once but twice because

we went over the alotted time at the meeting... said we had to pay for the room at the fucking public library... Is that so? I'm going to check it out tomorrow...see if that was a lie!

[FreedomAngel82]

11. I would check it out too

I've never heard of you having to pay for a room at the library. I'm sure they have a sign up sheet to reserve the room but not pay for it. :shrug: We never have had to at my college either. :shrug: Check it out for sure.

[lonestarnot]

14. I definitely will!

[madeline_con]

19. "... pay for the room at the fucking public library..."

Is that so indeed! I thought that sort of thing was free for use, just let them know you need it. Pay for the space???

[lonestarnot]

20. Library is supposed to be paid for by taxpayers, or at least that is what

we are told. Services are also supposed to be funded by taxpayers. I am calling tomorrow. And if they tell me there was no fee, I will be asking for a cheap as refund! LOL

[madeline_con]

21. did they serve snacks?

maybe that's what they paid for. But they said Space, huh?

[lonestarnot]

22. Nope no snacks... said they had to pay for the room.

[madeline_con]

23. Call, definitely.

Just ask nonchalantly how much to use the room for a group, etc.

Then, confront them next time they meet! Bwahahahahha!

[lonestarnot]

24. I will call tomorrow... post the answer.

[lonestarnot]

29. 4TH Floor large meeting rooms $30.00 per hour in our PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Now this is crap!

[Maddy McCall]

25. At our library, you don't have to pay a fee to use the conference room...

and as long as you bring the coffee, they have cups, creamer, and sugar you can use for free.

It's truly a community supported library. Same thing with a different library in another county, where I held a public forum. No fees, as long as you brought your stuff, you could use their coffee maker.

[lonestarnot]

30. I checked $30.00/hr! Freaks so much for PUBLIC EHG?

[wildeyed]

34. We have to pay a rental fee for a room at the libraries in my city.

n/t

[LittleClarkie]

16. I'd have said

"Call the cops, then!"

[murdoch]

27. They should have mentioned that beforehand

We have meetings locally that ask for money for meetings to use a space. Usually they ask for $3-5 or something like that. But they always ask up front. These people are either inexperienced at organizing.

[geek tragedy]

9. "I don't belong to an organized political party. I'm a Democrat."

Will Rogers.

[lonestarnot]

10. LOL

Isn't it a damn shame!

[paula777]

33. Good one - sad, but true

[OneBlueSky]

13. I've been involved with a LOT of activist groups of various kinds . . .

over the years . . . they have ranged from the very effective to the kind of innefective wheel-spinning you apparently ran into . . . when that happens, you really only have two choices . . . either don't waste your time with the group, or exert the kind of leadership and direction that's lacking . . . if you elect the former, you also have the option of starting a new group yourself and inviting those of like mind . . .

[lonestarnot]

17. Yes... but I made the mistake of getting pissed because I felt the meeting

had been infiltrated. There were some good people there, so I should have been more thoughtful and pensive as how to negotiate around the infiltrators, but I felt betrayed, which goes to hurt feelings, and I always deal with hurt feelings with anger. LOL so I guess I learned something. But I'm still pissed! LOL

[Hello_Kitty]

15. The problem with liberals at meetings

Is that we're almost too respectful and tolerant. So we let bombastic blowhards and fringe freaks ramble on and on about their pet subjects and everyone is afraid to tell them to SHUT THE HELL UP!

[lonestarnot]

18. Well I didn't tell anyone to shut-up, but I close to telling them to get

the fuck off their asses, quit wasting time whining and do something besides draft a petition. Shit... what good does a damn petition do.... wipe my ass with a petition!

[applegrove]

28. Don't give up. It starts small and then it builds. If the leadership of

your local group lacks leadership skills - up to you to show up and show your stuff in order to inspire. Then they'll vote you lead organizer. Better yet - you could discuss the leadership void with them and help them recruit people with the skills to get the thing going.

Try getting local speakers of some renouwn in. That would be an automatic thing to do.

[blm]

31. RW has ALWAYS planted operatives in EVERY lefty group they feared

for over 30 years now. Standard procedure. They pose as disgruntled lefties who either scream for anarchy or whine pitifully just so the right can claim they represent the Dem party.

[bobbieinok]

32. infiltration and disrupters to turn people vs move-on--major player in 200

2004

???????????????

[lonestarnot]

35. Don't know? #@#$@$(%(*)*%){!

:mad:

[JNelson6563]

36. So is the same story with your local Dems?

What's the scoop with them?

[wildeyed]

37. I had the same problems with the meetups during the lead up to elections

last year. Totally unorganized, lacked direction, impossible to get consensus.

What I ended up doing was to go to the meetups, stand up, tell people that I organize local voter registration events and pass around a sheet to get emails and phone numbers of people interested in volunteering. I didn't ask what they wanted to do because nobody could every figure it out. I just told them, this is what we are doing, if you want to help, great, if not, great. I ended up attracting a number of like minded people, and we managed to accomplish a few things.


"We don't want to have an anti-war name for our anti-war group b/c it might alienate people who are pro-war." LOL! Sounds like a dreadful meeting. But don't let a few idiots ruin it all for you. Probably there were many sitting in the meeting thinking what you were thinking. Just a matter of finding the good ones and getting busy.

[Zorbuddha]

38. Poo...

not Pooh.