All who are not aware of these recent incidents, as described in the article by Vilay Prashad (copied below), at Holyoke College, in South Hadley, (Western), Massachusetts, should bring this to your attention. This effects every one of us across the Nation. The issue is our most basic of all democratic rights. The issue is Freedom of Speech.
This is the 'cutting edge' of 'the movement' we are trying to build. If 'they' are going to use Civilian Authority to support the Military by abrogating the Freedom of Speech of US Citizens, THIS is the ground upon which we must draw up our forces and make our stand. Cindy Sheehan should go to Holyoke as soon as she can get there. She should then press this issue from jail, (where she will surely be put). This is how a 'movement' is pressed forward. Instead of sending 600,000 people to travel to Washington or New York to 'protest' by walking around empty streets holding up signs and puppets that no one but us will ever see, let's send ourselves in these mass droves to Holyoke, where we will FORCE them to arrest us. When those 600,000 are ready and willing to be arrested for their beliefs, this will be a powerful force, indeed. It will be the first flexing of what will become the most powerful Movement for Human Freedom, that History has yet seen. If we have any concept at all of 'non-violent resistance', we will understand that this is what we MUST do. We have fallen under the influence of a complete misconception of 'non-violence'. We marshall our impotent parades, (our 'mass actions', as we so like to glamorize these events), by enforcing that we all be good boys and girls. We go where they tell us we can. We do what they tell us we can do. When we do what we have the inalienable RIGHT (!) to do, whether 'they' tell us we can or not, THAT is when we will be a true and powerful Movement ! Here is the ground before us. The high ground is there for the taking. Occupy it and hold it at all cost. Send the 600,000 to jail, (symbolically), in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Everyone doesn't have to go (literally) to Western MA. But Cindy Sheen has taken up the mantle of our Cause, and this is where she should go NOW, if she will carry that mantlle with effectivenes and Courage. Send the 600,000 to jail all across the Nation, on every college and high school campus where recruiters operate. Send them to jail because they refused to give up their right to Freedom of Speech, and spoke to support Cindy while scoffiing at arrest. Let them take us ALL to jail, if they take ANY to jail. THAT is 'non-violent resistance', folks. Being good boys and girls, and staying on the sidewlk, is NOT! The issue is 'Freedom of Speech'. THIS is the proper ground. Stack your packs aside. Take the covers off your weapons and armor. Put your badges on your chest, the crest of all your clan and ancestors' pride upon your head. Sharpen your wits. Make ready for battle. THIS is the proper ground. If we do not do this, (as we likely will not), then we reveal yet again that we are not yet anything that resembles a 'Movement'. Sheehan has given flight to all the Courage of her Spirit. May she not falter. May our Hopes, (and for those so disposed, our prayers), rest well in her Brave Heart. She has taken up to carry the awesome Mantle of Ghandi and Dr. King. Will her courage sustain her? Not without US, it won't! Not without US ! THIS is the proper ground. If we but had a general to command us to stand and make ready. Can Sheehan carry this burden? Not without the strength of our courage behind her. To send the 600,000 to march through empty streets, to be completely ignored? Is this the best 'plan' of which our de facto 'general staff' is capable? (Who ARE these guys?) Holyoke presents us with the clear and present opportunity. Are we ready? Have we found a Leader worthy of this challenge? (I have my severe doubts. I think we will more likely watch this travesty in silent compliance, but obviously, I hope I am wrong). Will Cindy go to Holyoke to Speak Freely and be arrested? And will WE go with her? To Freedom or to jail? Zwarich ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 9:12 PM Subject: Melee of the Young Republican Berserkers > Melee of the Young Republican Berserkers > Desperation at Holyoke > By VIJAY PRASHAD > http://www.counterpunch.org/prashad10032005.html > > The scene has thoroughly changed. The late September > anti-war demonstration comes at a time when nation-wide > support for the War on Iraq plummets. Calls for a troop > withdrawal escalate among the political elite, as the > warmongers shift their rationale for the war > shamelessly. We went there to prevent a 9/11; if we > leave it might provoke a 9/11. The shadow of 9/11 is > itself being overrun by the floodwaters of Louisiana. > General George Casey, son of another General George > Casey of Cambodia, announced in late September that the > troop cutbacks hinted at in the Spring would not > happen, as the "situation has changed a little bit." > The "little" here refers to the massive upsurge of > resistance attacks: the US strategy appears to be to > isolate the mainly Sunni resistance, and thereby create > the basis for a general religio-ethnic civil war. Let > the natives fight among themselves, and soon the only > justification needed for the imperial forces to remain > is that they must play umpire. Such is the unique logic > of colonial rule: divide et impera, divide and conquer. > > No longer the confidence of popularity. Now the > Boy-Emperor's swagger seems tired. But there is no > slackness in the will of the warmongers. Recruitment is > done for the planetary bloodletting. Among the > working-class there is now little care for the > shibboleths of patriotism, when the only thing that > seems to matter to the political and economic elite is > the patriotism of the bottom line. The Generals are > nervous, and the ante is up. > > At Holyoke Community College (HCC), in Holyoke, > Massachusetts, one of the many educational institutions > that cater mainly to the working-class, the iron fist > flew through the velvet glove. On Thursday, September > 29, 2005, the Army National Guard sent its recruiters > to the campus, where the student Anti-War Coalition met > them. According to a statement by the college > authorities, the altercation between the recruiters and > the anti-war protestors created a disruption in the > cafeteria and led to "an escalating display of > emotions." Campus security intervened, and, again > according to the college authorities, "the anti-war > group chose to ignore [a student code of conduct] we > had established to ensure the safety of all, and > endangered the safety of the recruiters, students and > others present." The campus cops hit a student with > pepper spray, and the state police showed up. Arrests > followed, as did the subsequent retaliatory punishment > against one student, sophomore Charles Peterson. > > The college conveniently avoided any mention of the > Campus Republicans, who came in force to back the > recruiters, and according to Peterson, who was sprayed > by the cops, the Republican Youth went berserk and > started to assault the anti-war protestors. The > authorities also did not mention that one of the campus > cops (Officer Scott Landry) is an advisor to the Young > Republicans. When the state cops appeared, they came in > full battle gear, ready to create Falluja in Holyoke. > Some students report that the state police pointed guns > at them. > > Keep in mind that in June 2003, an HCC student, James > Lacey committed suicide after he returned from his > "tour of duty" in Iraq. At the memorial service for > Lacey, his friend from HCC and fellow veteran, Sean > Lamory pointed out that the reservists and National > Guard are bearing the burden of the Iraq War. They > "join the military for free college and benefits," he > said, not because they are especially patriotic. (In > September 2005, the Educational Policy Institute > released a report on student debt that showed how much > of a burden it is for US college students - who pay > market rates on their student loans. ROTC makes > financial, if immoral, sense in this vise). Lamory went > on, "I see it right here at HCC, a school where a lot > of students struggle financially and come out of class > to see a fancy Hummer, surrounded by Marines in > full-dress uniforms making all sorts of promises." This > is the context for the animosity among many students at > places like HCC against the military recruiters. > > The violence is a sign of desperation: a similar > incident occurred the same day at George Washington > University, when the police went after Tariq Khan, an > air force veteran, who stood before the army recruiting > station with a sign, "Recruiters tell Lies." He was > violently removed from the scene. This violence is also > visible in the way the recruiters went among the > refugees of Hurricane Katrina, before FEMA officials. > They are vultures who feast on tragedy. The recruiters > in the Astrodome are matched only by the fetid > provision in the No Child Left Behind Act that > automatically collects the names and addresses of > under-age children for military recruiters. > > As consent slips away, we learnt from Gramsci, coercion > begins its ugly march into the light. We might be at > this stage. > > But there are still some tasks before us. The Anti-War > Coalition, at HCC, has produced four unimpeachable > demands: > > (1) An immediate, unconditional public apology from the > college. > > (2) A pledge of non-retaliation against the activists > involved. > > (3) A thorough and impartial investigation into these > incidents. > > (4) That the military recruiters not be allowed back to > our college, as their actions and those of the military > discriminate against people based on their sexual > orientation, in violation of Massachusetts law and > college policy. Furthermore, the military is engaging > in an economic draft against working class and poor > people in an attempt to buttress this nation's illegal > war against Iraq. > > Call Dr. William Messner, President of HCC at > 413-552-2222. Show him that we can put as much pressure > on him as the establishment has already done. > > Vijay Prashad teaches at Trinity College, Hartford, CT. > His latest book is Keeping Up with the Dow Joneses: > Debt, Prison, Workfare (Boston: South End Press). His > essay, "Capitalism's Warehouses", appears in > CounterPunch's new book, Dime's Worth of Difference. He > can be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <8> ^ > _______________________________________________________ > > portside (the left side in nautical parlance) is a news, > discussion and debate service of the Committees of > Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism. It aims to > provide varied material of interest to people on the > left. > > For answers to frequently asked questions: > http://www.portside.org/faq > > To subscribe, unsubscribe or change settings: > http://lists.portside.org/mailman/listinfo/portside > > To submit material, paste into an email and send to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (postings are moderated) > > For assistance with your account: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To search the portside archive: > https://lists.mayfirst.org/search/swish.cgi?list_name=portside > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 1.2 million kids a year are victims of human trafficking. 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