Is there anything going on right now that would make you join a march on DC?

[Karmadillo]

Since the "crisis of democracy" in the Sixties, we have been fairly successfully conditioned to accept what we're given. Whether it's grinding wars of empire or ruinous bailouts of the rich or illusionary health care reform or criminal inaction in the face of climate change, we put up with it. We may type away our discontent on the internet or we may give what we can in time or money to corporate-approved candidates who promise change but rarely deliver, but we never, ever really say, "I had enough of that."

Is it time for us to admit something more is required of us? Is it time to admit that drinking from the fountain of the lesser of two evils isn't going to quench our thirst for justice? What if two million of us showed up in DC to demand real change? What if instead of waiting for the next officially sanctioned election to express our desire for real change, we acted now? Individually, we're not much to reckon with, but united, we might surprise ourselves at how powerful we are. And that power is something we could take back home to create the kinds of awareness and organizations that we need to ensure this country is governed for all and not just the few.

Anybody up for a march? There's not much to lose and everything to gain.

And just for some inspiration from the days when people with a little more courage than ourselves walked the earth:

http://www.savio.org/who_was_mario.html

"There comes a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part; and you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop, And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, the people who own it, that unless you're free the machine will be prevented from working at all."

[The Straight Story]

1. The only numbers that will change anything are measured in $$ not people sadly (nt)

[SIMPLYB1980]

2. Not really other than to stand up to

the teabaggers on the next bill they attack.

[Nikki Stone1]

3. Well, first we'd need a snow plough...

They're passing this thing at the end of the week. I can't see a march between now and then.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. It will take a mood in this country that eclipses the mood in France a week before the Bastille ....

.... was stormed. We're not there yet because TPTB have all the anesthesia they need to keep the masses pacified.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

5. No.

Marches on DC are a pointless waste of time and money.

[BobRossi]

10. Tell that to Dr. King's legacy.

Tell that to the lives saved by ending the Viet Nam war.

[otherlander]

12. I don't know if that's really how it happened.

To answer your question, what it would take would be the knowledge that the march was part of a broader strategy that went beyond mere protesting.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

26. OK...

Do you have a relevant example during my entire lifetime? (I'm 30)

[ldf]

36. that was then, this is now

we have had countless marches, with little accurate coverage.

the teabaggers will get unlimited coverage. we would get an honorable mention, for the purpose of plausible deniablility.

if we are going to march, it has to be with an intensity that gets attention. and i have no definition of what "intensity" means....

i also think we need different targets. a march in washington does nothing.

if the talking heads of every news network had to walk a gauntlet of extremely angry americans, for days on end, they may realize that there is an anger out here that must cover, whether they want to or not.

if there was massive civil disobedience.... millions refusing to buy, or cancelling their health insurance, may be an option...

if there was a massive general strike that people participated in....

if there was a concerted effort at financial protest, like everyone with a citibank account withdrawing their funds on the same day, we could bring them to their knees. we would have their attention.

of course it would be nice if our democratic leaders took the lead, but you can kiss that dream goodbye.

and without organization, not a lot can happen.

but back to the marches, if you don't see it on teevee, it didin't happen. and a 15 or 30 second flash on the 6:30 news won't do.

[treestar]

40. Could be - Roe v. Wade would be overturned by now -

the anti-choice crowd marches every Jan. 26 and has for the past 30 years.

[dysfunctional press]

6. i can be out the door and on the road within two hours.

anytime, any day. i'm always ready, and i have room to take along 6 more.

[The Straight Story]

7. Swing by Ohio on the way

:)

[dysfunctional press]

31. i'll save you a seat when the time comes.

:thumbsup:

[walldude]

8. Take days off of work, lose money, time away from my family

to go to Washington so I can watch the politicians close their blinds when I walk by? No thanks.

Besides this isn't the 60's technology has made marching obsolete. You think the White House doesn't know how we feel? Have you been watching the talking heads? They are out in full force telling the American people that they are too stupid to read the bill and therefore have no idea what they are talking about and should shut the fuck up. It was clear to me this week that they know exactly how we feel and we didn't need a march to get the message across. Too bad they told us to fuck off.

[Karmadillo]

13. Maybe it's the way the message is transmitted.

They may know how we feel, but as long as we stay at home and do as we're told, they may think how we feel doesn't matter.

[walldude]

34. They'll think that even if we show up. We marched on Bush

well I shouldn't say "we" because I had to work but a million people showed up and the press called it 10's of thousands. When the baggers showed up with 10 thousand they called it a million. We aren't going to get a fair shake no matter what happens.

[xchrom]

9. I'm always motivated for stuff like that

But only war and abortion get any serious turn out
in america.

[Goldstein1984]

11. There is something more effective than marching

STOP BUYING STUFF

Send emails to your representatives and telling them you are part of a boycott of the system that enriches the few by impoverishing the many. Tell them you are going to encourage as many people as you can to do the same.

We need to boycott this system. They understand money--money is why they are selling out the people. We all stop buying stuff.

And we vote anti-incumbent. If that makes things worse, then fine, because it may be that better awaits on the other side of worse, when enough people are hurting that nobody believes the stupid platitudes of the elite.

Yes, I'm up for a march. But there is a lot more that we can do.

[notesdev]

14. banks, wars, corruption

I'd march against any of that (and I have)

[readmoreoften]

15. Why not march at every town hall in America? Who can afford to fly to DC?

To hell with Washington. Let's shut this thing down where we work.

[WeDidIt]

16. Nope

Can't think of a thing that would make me protest the direction this country is going in.

[LWolf]

17. If I could fund the trip,

and I can't, health care, the war, or the race to destroy public education would all get me out and marching.

[cliffordu]

18. Well...Californication is over for the season so I could prolly make it...

[blues90]

19. the 60's had one main issue and that was the war

Now we have fallen so far down and have been buried in endless issues, lists of them.

People need to focus in on why we allowed this country to fail rather than advance.

Organizations always seem to build and create another group of leaders who seek fame and recognition , we don't need another fake hero.

People can protest and call and write and email until their arms fall off. So far from all of this I see no change of direction. the machine continues on un-hampered.

We allow it and it will take more than half of all americans to look at what they do that contributes to the machine and stop cold.

There are people here who buy the political hype and and those who do not. there are people here who look for the next new product that are told will change their life . We are told if we don't consume the jobs will go away, what jobs? Didn't we already sell ourselves out buying into the box stores and fast food? It's never what you have or own that makes the person but what your humanity is.

We are told if we don't vote for one party the other will win when both are the same .It's all based on fear and all put your faith in someone called the lessor of two evils , well that alone should make one run far away from the voting machines. If it does not end it will continue.

[laughingliberal]

29. Well done nt

[Mari333]

20. Id march in a heartbeat

but the MSM would ignore us like they did for 8 yrs.

[lib_wit_it]

33. Unless we make that impossible. We need to storm the senate offices, like the teabaggers did. We

need to come up with something that demands attention. My first thought is to make some fucking trouble, but what if we did something more imaginative. I don't know, like maybe one of those out of nowhere choreographed dance routines that were popping up in public places a little while back. What if we all wore black or did a few of those card picture-messages they do in stadiums. What if we all stripped naked? Or built a human pyramid 1000 rows high? Billionaires for Wealthcare on a grander scale.

Honestly, we could get some attention if we did it right!

I've posted a few times here recently trying to rile up enough folks to start a word-of mouth campaign which would eventually be picked up (maybe?)by the big organizations and publicized. (Though if we came up with some really great attention-getting strategies, we wouldn't need as huge a turn-out.) The blanket or umbrella or whatever issue is the new CIVIL RIGHTS movement--for ALL people and to take away person-hood from the corporations. The general feeling does seem to be that it would be useless. Wasted resources.

But I think there's a way to reconceptualize the protest/rally/march to make it viable and effective.

OK, obviously I'm off my meds or something. I'm just ranting and I should be doing 50 other things to prepare for the upcoming family gatherings I look forward to, and I need to get in a better mood, so, I'm getting off this damn addicting board. But hey--let's talk more in the new year!

[Land Shark]

21. Just need the gas money/ride/public transport to get there. That's all. nt

[Hatchling]

22. The revolution won't be televised.

No one will hear our message.

[barbtries]

23. i've been up for it

the wars haven't stopped, so i've been up for it for years.

i will be in DC from the 23rd to the 27th this month. where shall we meet?

[bigwillq]

24. The lack of equal rights for all people (nt)

[Brickbat]

25. I can't make it to D.C. Frankly, I don't take very seriously marches in D.C. alone.

It's made up generally of people who can afford to take the time off and travel, and that skews the participants. While local protests across the country on the same day also can be attended only by people who can afford to take the time to do so, it allows a much wider section of the population to participate, and show their support, and get involved. So, like with so many things, I prefer to keep it local.

[TorchTheWitch]

27. who can afford to?

[Waiting For Everyman]

28. Yup. Ready, and hope I'm wrong but I see it coming.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=7283115&mesg_id=7283115

I couldn't do such things for 25 years b/c my husband needed 24/7 watching for life-threatening medical incidents he had several times a month. But he's gone now.

And I'm near enough to D.C. Ready, yes.

[gimama]

30. There was a DC rally, Dec.12th

ck out www.afterdowningstreet.org (thanks, David Swanson!)
& other, ON-GOING rallies & marches, ALL the time/every where!
sign up for alerts there, & at:
United for PEACE & JUSTICE, World Can't Wait, American Friends Service Committee,
Veterans for PEACE, IVAW ~Iraq Vets Against War...

NOPE, NOT televised, & not even noticed, till WE are PERSONALLY affected/afflicted.

[dysfunctional press]

32. apparently they didn't do a very good job of getting the word out.

what's needed is a millions-upon-millions-man-march.
with the number of people who are unemployed and/or uninsured- a well-organized and unified march on dc of gargantuan(elle was right- you don't get to use that word too often) numbers is extremely feasible.

but- things just aren't bad enough for enough people yet, it would seem.

[freddie mertz]

35. Yes. The war, HCR debacle, and failure on GLBT rights. Also EFCA.

Also the abortion crap in the two bills. We have lots of reasons

[Unvanguard]

37. There are marches in DC all the time. Anti-war, pro-choice, pro-equality, pro-immigration reform.

They generally accomplish nothing.

Edit: For the record, I attend them anyway. I would and have marched for all of the above.

[varelse]

38. Is there anything on earth that would make our Mass Media cover such a demonstration objectively?

I think we know the answer to that, don't we?

The center of power is not DC these days - that is the center of puppets.

[LastNaturalist]

39. An "I Love President Obama!" march.