FW: Putting on the line - could you do it?

[Thomas Lunde]

Title: FW:  Putting on the line - could you do it?

Thomas: You may have noticed - a little ego here - I have not been posting lately.  Why!  Because I came to the realization that ideas and talk are not going to solve our multiple problems and I felt I had to withdraw and rethink this whole situation.   Tom Attlee, the author of the word co-stupidity which I posted an essay about to the list several months ago is perhaps feeling the same way - as are other groups he is working with.  They finally moved out of their comfort zone in a very big way to make a point of incredible value. (see essay below) The image now in my mind is Tinneamin Square (sp?) - remember that image of the Chinese man standing in front of the tank and when the tank tried to go around him, he continued to move in front - in essence saying, "listen and respond or take my life" the choice is yours, I am just going to stand here (naked) and you make the decision. I'm beginning to think that the only way we can slow and stop this insanity around us of poverty, Y2K, the effects of capitalism on the Earth and future generations is to take our clothes off and stand in front of the tank.  Instead of starving us, lying to us, tricking us, decieving us - just go ahead and kill us - we stand here naked before you. Revolution is not the answer.  Dramatic helplessness may be.  I watch the news and see the people of Serbia, begging daily for Milosovic to just go away.  They are not crying for punishment or justice, they are just saying "Please, go away, allow us to regroup and rebuild and restructure our country."  That is what most of us want - for the existing structure to "just go away" and allow the rest of us to regroup, rebuild and restructure.  Take the damn money you have stolen, just go away.  Perhaps we have to give them the alternative - kill us or just go away, it is your choice and stand there in front of them - naked. Respectfully, Thomas Lunde   When you think about what you have to do in this culture to get your priorities straight, it just boggles the mind!!   But it is always heartening to hear about someone doing it.  I wonder if there will be any copycat demonstrations elsewhere... -- Coheartedly,  Tom Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 14:03:06 -0700 (PDT) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Wendy Tanowitz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [y2k-nuclear] Nudes, not nukes! Our Y2K World Atomic Safety Holiday campaign people were at a forum on nuclear weapons last night. It was a ho-hum affair until Helen Caldicott and Patch Adams related a story about how they had called a press conference in Washington D.C. to talk about the possibility of extinction because of y2k as it relates to nuclear weapons and power. No one came. So last night, Helen said, "What does it take to get their attention? Do I have to take my clothes off?" Then Patch Adams asked the audience how many would be willing to take their clothes off. Dozens raised their hands. One of our Y2K WASH folks called the press, we all disrobed and marched down Van Ness Avenue chanting, "disrobe for disarmament, and "Nudes, not nukes!" The SF Examiner and Channel 5 did fair coverage--no frontal nudity, however. They both get the story right about the reason we were doing this. This is the story which appeared in the San Francisco Examiner today, 10/4. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ examiner/hotnews/stories/04/naked.dtl        Activists reveal naked truth about nuclear catastrophes                By Ray Delgado OF THE EXAMINER STAFF                Monday, October 4, 1999                50 people march nude on Van                Ness to draw attention to Y2K                dangers                Some activists get arrested to draw                attention to their cause. Others scream                and rant in hopes that people will                listen.                Some nuclear activists, on the other                hand -- well, they get naked.                About 50 people who gathered Sunday                night near City Hall for a conference on                the potential dangers of Y2K-induced                nuclear catastrophes ended the session                with a mass nude demonstration along a                block of Van Ness Avenue. Desperate                for press attention for their cause, they                opted to get covered by uncovering.                The nude march was led by Patch                Adams, an activist and doctor who                inspired the movie based on his                lifetime of unconventional approaches                to adversity.                "Non-violent people like us really have                so few tools to face a capitalist                system," Adams told the crowd as they                uncomfortably disrobed outside Herbst                Theater in the War Memorial Building.                "All we really have are ourselves and                our ideas. Our ideas have not done the                job."                With those words, the crowd whooped                and hollered their way out of the                building and onto Van Ness for a quick                stroll down the street, chanting,                "Disrobe for disarmament," and,                "News, not nukes."                Along Van Ness Avenue, some cars                slowed to gawk and others honked at                the protesters, who cheered in                response.                The night air was chilly enough to have                a noticeable effect on some                participants, but there was no shortage                of enthusiasm among the participants.                "I'm glad to be a part of a community                that is as passionate as I am," said Palo                Alto resident Carol Brouillet, a                42-year-old mother of three who has                written books on nuclear issues. "I'm                glad my husband's not here. He                wouldn't do this, but we have different                world views."                The conference, titled Creating a                Culture of Peace for the 21st Century,                was well-attended by interested                participants but generated little media                interest until Adams and prominent                activist Dr. Helen Caldicott called for                the nude demonstration. Although many                ideas were discussed at the forum, the                main thrust of the meeting was the                dangers of nuclear accidents occuring                on Jan. 1, 2000, if computer systems in                countries around the world crash                because they are not prepared to handle                the date change.                Caldicott warned that some countries                are unprepared for the Y2K problem,                and she said too little attention is being                paid to the dangers and consequences                of nuclear fallout. Shedding her own                clothes was not easy, she said, but was                worth it to call attention to the problem.                "To be scared of doing something like                this, which is a little thing compared to                what's facing us, is just silly," Caldicott                said. "It just shows that people are                desperate for this cause and will do                whatever it takes."                 ©1999 San Francisco Examiner               Examiner Hot News http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/ examiner/hotnews/stories/04/naked.dtl ____________________________________________ Tom Atlee  *  The Co-Intelligence Institute  *  Eugene, OR  *  Walnut Creek, CA http://www.co-intelligence.org http://www.co-intelligence.org/Y2K.html http://www.co-intelligence.org/CIPol_Index.html