Remember Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"?

[benburch]

Remember Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"? Remember the huge black crows on the school's Monkey Bars? They show up one at a time, and soon the monkey bars are covered with huge, menacing, silent crows.

What if that happened with people?

What if that happened in front of every Federal Building in the land?

What if there were;

No signs.

No T-shirts with slogans.

No buttons.

No bullhorns.

No tamborines.

No Anarchists with rags on their faces and black flags.

No chants.

No talking.

No handouts.

No speakers.

Just thousands of people standing or sitting in perfect silence, perhaps eating lunch.

Everywhere.

At the same time.

April 14th, 2006. Good Friday, 3 PM, the hour Jesus died on the cross.

What if?

[Kierkegaard]

1. Sounds ominous.

I like it!

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Sounds like a good plan

I would want a sign though - so they know why I am there.

[benburch]

4. More disturbing to leave the guessing.

NO Signs.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Then it will only work

if there are hundreds or thousands of people there.

We get maybe 10 at our anti war rallies. I can't see 10 people standing there and sending a message. Sorry.

[benburch]

10. Nice defeatism.

I and thousands of others will be there.

Or not. (At least I will)

But your way of doing things has worked so well for us so far...

I know. I've helped do it.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. Ben, we have been trying to excite people here for a long time

I am not trying to shoot down your idea and I am sorry if you took it that way. Maybe you can get 1000s to show up in Chicago, but I would be shocked if more than 10 participated here. We can't even get all of our DUers here to join the weekly rallies. I myself didn't go yesterday. And you want to do this at 3:00 in the afternoon on a weekday. SOME people will be off work that day due to Good Friday but a lot will not have the day off.

I just can't see how a crowd of 10 is going to make much of a statement. I am willing to do this if I am in town (I might be gone that week - it is spring break) and I won't care if I am one of a small crowd. I just think we will make a better statement if we have signs explaining why we are there. I am with you on the silence part. I like that idea. I just want to make sure there is an impact, that's all. It would be great to finally make the news here in KC.

[lonestarnot]

3. Why the hour Jesus died on the cross? I must have missed something.

[benburch]

5. Seems appropriate to mourning. nt

[YOY]

6. Not eating. Just staring. Maybe pointing at a certain individual...

n/t

[glaeken777]

17. classic

[Ivan Sputnik]

8. That's a bit more like

'Night of the Living Dead' than 'The Birds.' But I like it. It would certainly draw attention.

[Poiuyt]

15. Or "Village of the Damned"

[leftofthedial]

9. what does jesus have to do with it?

[benburch]

11. A bit of symbology.

And a day and time people have off work.

[leftofthedial]

12. it would be a great "event."

powerful statement, although at some level someone has to offer some message

[benburch]

13. I think the Feds will get the message we are sending just by being there.

They are not as stupid as we like to think.

[leftofthedial]

16. I respectfully disagree

they'll use the corporate media to impose whatever message they want on the action, probably one that marginalizes the whole event.

I think it would be more effective to do it and then later to release a message.

[benburch]

18. You may be correct.

Point is that there are MANY messages. However, All of them amount to "We cannot support this government, and we are ready to not do so in very large disciplined numbers."

And the GOVERNMENT will get the message no matter how they spin it for the Sheeple.

And this will not be the last Ghandian action, but rather the first AND THE SMALLEST.

And they will get THAT message too.

Nonviolent noncooperation.

It's The Way.

[johnaries]

19. A Political Flash Mob

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_mob

A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, do something unusual or notable, and then disperse. They are usually organized with the help of the Internet or other digital communications networks.

The term has also been applied to distributed mobs, who use similar means to co-ordinate sudden large scale simultaneous actions in multiple locations. An example of such an action is the widespread use of mobile phones in the November 2005 French Riots to co-ordinate widespread social disruption.

I like it! :toast:

[benburch]

20. A silent one. nt

[johnaries]

23. A moment of silence in memorium of our now-dead Democracy.

Liking it better all the time...

[BrotherBuzz]

21. The media won't notice until Hitchcock blows up the gas station

Can we bring pitchforks? I have amassed quite a collection and am willing to share.

[GrpCaptMandrake]

22. This has such tremendous potential

It lacks the overt energy expenditure of signage or noise-making.

It is devoid of the self-marginalization of "groups."

It has the potential for trmendous tension, brought on by one, one hundred, one thousand or one hundred thousand.

Its silence carries a noise louder than any chant, song or skillet-banging.

Those in power know that marching, shouting people can be easily managed. The job's a lot tougher with those who are silent and seated.

This is a true minimalist approach to protest, and it should be tried.

[applegrove]

24. "The neocons"! LOL

[Swamp Rat]

25. Sometimes the simplest plan is the most effective.

kick and recommended

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

26. In a similar but different vein

"minimalist approach to protest" Great phrase courtesy of Group Captain Mandrake.

I do believe you are on to something. I was thinking how frustrating it is to KNOW you are in the majority and yet to feel that your voice is suppressed. I also feel there is a lot of self-censorship going on. People are reluctant to discuss politics because it is so devisive and corrosive or you don't have a bumper sticker because you don't feel like getting fingers on the highway or having your car keyed or whatever. Or, our voice gets segmented into different factions who have their own particular hot-button issue, rendering us all, ultimately ineffective. So, in keeping with the idea of identifying the numbers of people who are UNHAPPY with Bush for a variety of reasons - what if people just started sporting unhappy faces:(

On their bumpers, on notebooks, on their coats, on their mail, in their email, on posters, flyers, anywhere and everywhere. And all it would mean is

I AM UNHAPPY (WITH THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION)

your issue might be war, it might be healthcare, it might be Katrina, it might be wiretapping, it might be Plame, it might be outsourcing, it might be ports, it might be illegal aliens, it might be Abramhoff, it might be election fraud, it just doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is identifying a large, unhappy, majority of the American public.

:( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :( :(


With Unity, will come solidarity, purpose and victory.

[benburch]

27. Good idea.

I will work up such a bumpersticker.

[DetroitProle]

28. not a good plan

Mixes too much with religious peity. I'm no true believer...but since childhood I've observed silence at 3PM on Good Friday.
As part of tradition, and some self-reflection, I still do, if possible. Usually go the day without eating. I know a lot of people who do the same.
It would look just like religious fanfare. People wouldn't get the message, or they would get the wrong message.

Pick a different day, a more political one, and its a good plan.