[Sosfbay-discuss] Jeff Gibbs: Why I Am Not Going to the Protest

[alexcathy at aol.com]

Dear Friends, 


I do not necessarily agree with all the far-out stuff posted on Alex Cockburn's web site, www.counterpunch.com,
and I do not necessarily agree with everything that Jeff Gibbs says in
this essay. But I sho' nuff do understand how he feels when he says: "I
am tired of protests." Already my e-mail inbox is filling up with a new
round of announcements from International A.N.S.W.E.R. gushing about
"all out' for a fresh round of protests this fall.





Please! 






 


Posted on CounterPunch, August 31, 2007
Why I am Not Going to the Protest
by Jeff Gibbs 



I am not going to the protest. I am tired of protests:
they don't stop wars. Not protests that are mostly about sign waving
and hooking up with friends and strangers and feeling the solidarity
and then going back to work or school on Monday. They say the
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again
expecting a different result.





Sure it FEELS rebellious, these government-permitted, media-ignored,
totally predictable rituals-but come on, going to an anti-war protest
hasn't been rebellious since Abbie Hoffman coughed up a fur ball at one
in 1968. And in the context of the war on our civil liberties
envisioned by Clinton/Reno and executed by your nemesis George W. Bush,
they are very, very happy to have you protest and take your name and
number. Or force you into a field, or a waiting pen to be locked away
until they decide to let you out.





Personally I am tired of marching alongside people wearing masks and
carrying signs about stupid Bush when we and everyone we know put
together have not been smart enough to stop him. And the Bush bashing
only makes the whole parade, err, protest look juvenile to the rest of
the world.





Here is what I propose: let's stop messing around. No more anti-war.
Let's stop the war. No more protest, unless it is part of some huge
thing that doesn't involve business as usual the next day. How do you
stop the war? Shut 'er down. No more business as usual. . . 







One of the reasons why I joined the Green Party was because going
Green represented a public declaration of my refusal to participate in
"business as usual," that is, lobbying, begging, and pleading with
corporate Democrats to give us fifteen minutes of their precious time.
I think part of the reason why the GP has not taken off as much as we
migth have expected is that a lot of Greens still think of the GP as
another "protest" group instead of a political party and a surprising
number of Greens still have a sentimental soft spot for their friendly
local neighborhood Democratic Party Hack. I see this a lot in
inner-city neighborhoods when it's the friendly local neighborhood
Democratic Party Hack of Color.





I say: No More of Old Politics and the Old Business as Usual!  





In the cities; in the suburbs; in the little towns; in the rural counties; in the 'Blue' states; and in the 'Red' states.





My rant has also been posted at: http://www.greencommons.org/node/776 



   


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