22,400,853 members doing good!
share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more
Jan 2, 2008
Focus: Government
Action Request: Think About
Location: United States
As Marc said, the time has come for CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE; and that would involve MASSIVE STRIKES, consumer boycotts, not paying taxes, and SOLDIERS REFUSING TO FIGHT, among other things. It is fine to go as far as we possibly can with petitions, letters-to-the-editor, and discussion forums such as this one. What these methods do, is RAISE PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS. That prepares people for the more drastic methods of Civil Disobedience.
If this were really the Democracy we have been taught it was -- IF, that is, a big IF -- then petitions, letters, discussions, and Legal methods {such as the NRDC uses} would WORK.
OBVIOUSLY, THESE METHODS ARE NOT ENOUGH. Under Bush, they are NOT WORKING.
Not ALL of us, are in the position to COMMIT CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE such as is required. A lot of us are in ill health, have family and other responsibilities, etc. We can't afford, for one reason or another, to end up in jail, as often happens with Civil Resisters.

One thing we CAN do, all of us, is Consumer Boycotting. INFORM yourselves; and REFUSE TO BUY things made from wood from endangered forests. Or using gold or oil or diamonds or other metals and substances extracted by destroying the environment. Unfortunately, that is almost EVERYTHING. Things like toilet paper, plastics, your wedding ring, and gas for your SUV. We must LIVE MUCH MORE SIMPLY, without so much Stuff. Don't buy food flown in from thousands of miles away.

Most of us are afraid of the consequences of not paying our taxes. Soldiers and their families, are afraid of the consequences of going AWOL and desertion. We are not all cut out to be tree-huggers and tree-sitters to stop logging.
BUT WE CAN ALL GIVE OUR VOCAL AND MORAL AND EVEN FINANCIAL AND LEGAL SUPPORT, TO THOSE BRAVE SOULS THAT DO HAVE THAT COURAGE.
There are LOTS of people who DO have the courage, tho the media does its best to suppress their stories. We need to inform ourselves on the Internet, and other alternative media; and do our best to INFORM OTHERS. As is being done here.

As I said, we need to MAKE CLEAR OUR SUPPORT FOR ALL DIRECT ACTIONS OF CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE that gum the works and make sure it is NOT just "Business as usual"; EVEN AT THE COST OF SOME PERSONAL INCONVENIENCE TO OURSELVES. The personal inconvenience WE may have to face in our daily lives' disruptions, is NOTHING compared to the "inconvenience" of HAVING OUR EARTH RAPED AND STOLEN OUT FROM UNDER US.
 
We are not going to just "go out into the streets" and be mowed down. Everybody here knows that. Demos have been tried. They RAISE CONSCIOUSNESS; that is as far as they go.

We need to STOP THE MACHINE. This means doing things that may be "illegal". {Like not paying taxes or refusing to fight once in the military; or "trespassing" on private or government property.} But, after much thoughtful consideration, and, yes, often prayer or meditation, it becomes clear that IT IS THE MORAL THING TO DO, TO DO THE "ILLEGAL" THING, TO BREAK THE LAW FOR HIGHER ENDS. As citizens broke such laws as the Fugitive Slave Act, that all escaped slaves legally had to be returned to their masters, back in the day.

If we ourselves don't quite have the courage to, or are not in a position to, take risks, WE CAN WITH RELATIVE SAFETY AND COMFORT, ENCOURAGE THOSE WHO DO. I urge you all who are reading this, to start doing so, if you are not already doing it. We can CREATE A PUBLIC OPINION.
That is why, in Europe, as Marc states, strikes by workers are frequent and successful. Because the PUBLIC in general supports them; and the Public is willing therefore to put up with the temporary inconvenience to the flow of their daily lives.
Here, a lot of the Public is still brainwashed. Our unions have been weakened, while we were looking the other way, enjoying a false and temporary "prosperity". It is time to UN-BRAINWASH the Public. In Europe and the rest of the world, "Socialism" is not such a bad word. It means the PEOPLE, and not corporations, controlling things in their own interests. We have really been brainwashed more than we can imagine. The rest of the world was raped, to lull the American consumer into a mindless state of "gimme". Now, the "chickens are coming home to roost" and the American consumer is seeing what the REST of the world was up against.

SUPPORT Civil Disobedience, if you cannot commit it yourself. This SUPPORT will make all the difference; it is not "nothing". Support Tax Resisters, Resisters in the Military, Strikes, Boycotts, Sit-ins, Free Speech in illegal "restricted zones"; and ANYTHING ELSE THAT COMES UP, THAT IS MORAL AND NON-VIOLENT.

[This was Marc's Comment:
"...... France and Spain and other countries are handicapped by labor strikes every few years. Truckers blocking the roads, airpersonel on strike, trains stop running. We had a friendly police action a few weeks back, where the officers let most people of with a warning, or trainconducters who let the passengers run free. The shame is these strikes are only held to improve the own position and get more wages and not for some general higher goal benifitting all. Instead of a labor union it is time for a justice union who unites people in a common cause of protecting life and justice."

SO, YOU SEE, IT IS NOT IMPOSSIBLE TO THINK OF REAL CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ACTIONS THAT WOULD REALLY STOP 'BUSINESS AS USUAL'. BMT]

My name is:
B MUTINY MUTINY MUTINY T


[THIS IS MY NEW YEAR'S GREETING TO YOU ALL;
AND MY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION!]
Jul 4, 2007
Focus: Peace
Action Request: Think About
Location: United States
THIS IS MY TAKE ON THINGS -- BMUTINY T. I AM SOLELY RESPONSIBLE.

Wednesday July 4, 2007, 4:48 pm

Troops must lay down their weapons and not fire a single shot more at any Iraqi.
Airplane pilots must REFUSE TO GO ON ANY MORE BOMBING MISSIONS.
NO shot fired at an Iraqi citizen, or his family or his children, is justified for ANY reason whatsoever.

Iraqis are only trying to defend their country and get ALL AMERICANS OUT. They don't want their oil stolen. Bush is trying to hang on until the current negotiations to turn the oil over to the U.S. and Britain go thru the puppet Iraqi Parliament.

AMERICANS ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN FIRING ANY SHOTS, EVEN TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. Yes, I said it and I will say it again. AMERICAN SOLDIERS, AND BRITISH AND OTHER SOLDIERS, IN IRAQ, ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN FIRING EVEN TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.
They are ONLY justified in LEAVING. That's IT. That's ALL they can morally do. NOT DROP A SINGLE BOMB MORE; NOT FIRE A SINGLE SHOT MORE.
They DIE FOR A LIE. Both Americans AND Iraqis.

If the American troops STOP FIRING, THE IRAQI RESISTANCE WILL STOP FIRING AT THEM.

And that is what happened in Viet Nam. American troops stopped "doing battle" with the Viet Cong; and the Viet Cong stopped firing at them. THIS IS RECORDED IN THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PARIS PEACE TALKS; as well as in plenty of anecdotal evidence of soldiers who were there.

There is NO SENSE AT ALL in obeying the INSANE commands of an INSANE COMMANDER-IN-THIEF.

===================================

This is what I wrote in response to the pictures of severely wounded, and dead, Iraqi children.


THIS IS WHAT I TRULY BELIEVE AND WILL STAND BY UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

BMutiny ThemIDefy


 
The Legacy Of Bush and Blair visit site
US Politics & Gov't  (tags: bushadministration, crimes, against, humanity, Iraq, Afganistan, bush, cheney, crime, government, lies, war, torture, dishonesty, corruption )

Elsie 
 - robert-fisk.com

Go to Victims of the Anglo-American Aggression and "A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words" down and to the right. warning not for the faint of heart.



THIS I ALSO BELIEVE AND WILL STAND BEHIND ABSOLUTELY. BMT 

THE AMERICAN TROOPS WILL BE MUCH, MUCH, SAFER, IF THEY DO NOT FIRE A SINGLE SHOT MORE. AND MUCH, MUCH MORE LIKELY TO COME HOME WITH ALL OF THEIR LIMBS. THINK ABOUT IT.

IF THE AMERICAN TROOPS STOP FIRING AT THE IRAQIS, THE IRAQIS WILL STOP FIRING AT THEM. THEY HAVE SAID SO.

IF THE AMERICANS ENTIRELY STOPPED GOING ON PATROL, THEY WOULD NOT ENCOUNTER ANY FLESH-SHREDDING IED's. THE IRAQIS ALL KNOW WHERE THE IED's ARE! THEY ARE NOT TELLING THE AMERICANS! THEY SEE THE IED's, SOME OF WHICH ARE MASSIVE IN SIZE, BEING LAID, AND JUST WALK AROUND THEM!

60% OF IRAQIS HAVE SAID THEY APPROVE OF AMERICAN TROOPS GETTING KILLED! 60% OF THEM APPROVE OF THE DEATH OF YOUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS BY IED's AND BY GUNSHOTS AND WHATEVER ELSE IS OUT THERE WAITING FOR THEM WHENEVER THEY GO OUT ON PATROL!

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO CONCEIVABLE REASON FOR ANY AMERICAN SOLDIER TO RISK LIFE & LIMB, AND TO INCUR THE HATRED OF MOST IRAQIS, BY GOING OUT ON PATROL! NONE! NONE WHATSOEVER! NONE THAT ANYBODY CAN POSSIBLY THINK OF!

The Iraqis, their families, and their children, will be very happy if the Americans stop firing a single shot more; stop dropping a single bomb more!
IT IS TIME TO DO SOMETHING; NOT JUST TALK, TALK, TALK. IT IS TIME TO REALLY, ACTUALLY STOP THE WAR, THE ONLY WAY THE WAR CAN BE STOPPED. THINK ABOUT IT. THE ONLY WAY. BY MASS, MASSIVE CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE BY VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF TROOPS.
Visibility: Everyone
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted: Jul 4, 2007 11:27pm

 

 
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.

Author

BMutiny TCorporationsEvil
female, age 77, single, 1 child
Seattle, WA, USA
Shares by Type:
All (242) | Blog (132) | Alert (104) | Message (6)

Showing shares tagged with: civildisobedience [show all]
SHARES FROM BMUTINY'S NETWORK
May
21
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: URGE CONGRESS TO PROTECT ASBESTOS VICTIMSHelp protect asbestos victims' rights by urging Congress to oppose legislation that threatens to delay and deny justice until asbestos victims die. Your action will make a difference!
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: TELL OUR ELECTED LEADERS: TAKE A STAND AGAINST ANTI-LGBT VIOLENCEMark Carson was walking down the street and killed because he was gay. The next Mark Carson is out there right now, running out of time. We cannot, must not stop until our n...
May
20
(0 comments  |  discussions )
For much of the past 10 years, beekeepers, primarily in the United States and Europe, have been reporting annual hive losses of 30 percent or higher, substantially more than is considered normal or sustainable. But this winter, many U.S. beekeepers e...
by Rick S.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: PLANT FREE TREES WITH ODWALLAOdwalla is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy's All Hands on Earth campaign to plant up to 100,000 trees through 2013 in cities and towns across the country. You can enter and design you own tree every day...
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: TELL YOUR SENATOR: STOP THE CORPORATE POWER GRABCorporate-funded politicians in the Senate are threatening to shut down the National Labor Relations Board, the independent agency that protects workers' rights, and let CEOs run amok. The n...
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: TELL THE EPA TO REJECT THE PEBBLE MINEThe time for study is over! Tell the EPA to finalize its assessment and stop the Pebble Mine.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
TAKE ACTION: ASK YOUR CONGRESSMAN TO SUPPORT THE INDUSTRIAL HEMP FARMING ACTIf passed, H.R. 525 will allow farmers in the U.S. to once again have the opportunity to grow this valuable agricultural crop.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Experts warn that the Indian tiger, despite figures showing the population has stabilized, faces an increasing threat of extinction due to a lack of genetic diversity. Researchers from the UK’s Cardiff University, in collaboration with the Nati...
(0 comments  |  0 discussions )
TAKE THE BLUE OCEAN GREEN EARTH PLEDGEBe the change you want to see in the world. Let's all become part of the solution. THANK YOU!

Copyright © 2013 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved