What's the "straw" that will break/make you?

[caduceus]

Our present administration just seems to commit one offense after another.

What single act can this administration commit that will cause you to get up right now and take to the streets in non-stop protest and non-violent resistance?

[ewagner]

1. Getting close

I think "one more stupid military intervention"

[BurtWorm]

2. I've taken it to the streets several times already

I went to the anti-inaugural and the voter march in DC, as well as several anti-war demonstrations. I hope to be at the anti-Republican countervention in NYC, and I will probably be at others along the way.

[caduceus]

4. That's not what I mean.

I mean something so heinous, that it makes you jump out of your seat right now to stop it.

[DagmarK]

7. Hmmmmmm.......that is a very good Question.....

thanks for clarifying.

If a prominent dem presidential candidate or someone with a similar VOICE of the people were assasinated or just "shows up dead" or goes down in a plane or ANY death that is not patently clear as nature or accidental.

And then.....I can't say that I wouldn't join the anarchist side of the aisle...............

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

5. you mean like a General Strike?

Hey, it's happened before :)

[ScreamingMeemie]

6. BushCo. winning the election in 2004.

Then I would have no choice.

[DemoTex]

8. One more war. One more trumped-up imperialistic military excursion ...

Just one more. Try me.

[ewagner]

9. wow, it's true

don't mess with Texas!!!

[Andy_Stephenson]

37. Reporting for Duty Sir!

[ibegurpard]

10. cancelling the elections would definitely do it for me.

n/t

[PaDUer]

15. The last election

was cancelled..they let the people go through the motions, and they did it their way!

[samsingh]

11. come on! we're way past that point

1. stealing 2000 election
2. using 9/11 to mislead the country and the world
3. tax cuts to their friends
4. lieing to start a war for oil

the list if extensive.

[caduceus]

12. But you're not in the street.

n/t

[Andy_Stephenson]

38. Funeralgate

Silverado Savings abnd Loan
Ranger Stadium in Arlington
The Murder of Wellstone (yes Murder)
The Murder of Carnahan
Invading a soverign Nation in violation of international law
Crimes against Humanity
Environmental degredation
Breaking international treaties
Trading with the enemy

yes the list is long.

[MotorCityMan]

13. I keep wondering what is the "straw" that will wake up the general public

Everyday a new outrage and no reaction. Today's is cutting the members of the militaries pay. Disgusting, shameless, and a big ole' pseudo-Texan "fuck you" from * to the brave men and women in the military.

* and his partners in evil are getting more arogant and out of control by the day. When are they going to go over the line and cause the middle of the roader's to realize the abomination our government has become? The far-right faithful are completly lost. He could sacrafice a virgin on the white house lawn, and they would admire how he managed to do it without cutting himself.

[caduceus]

14. And yet, you are still not out in the street.

Do you get my point? Why do we ask when will "most" Americans wake up, when there still is NO active, persistent, non-violent resistance from anyone. Every day we complain, but we really do nothing that will stem the tide. We keep saying, "Oh, we really have to elect someone else." And every day, they get away with another heinous act. Look at the American Revolution. Look at the French Revolution. Look at the Polish Solidarity revolution against the Soviets. Remember Boris Yeltsin standing on the tank in Moscow? Remember the single man standing in front of the row of tanks during the Tiananmen Square, uprising in Peking, China? Look at the civil rights demonstrations in this country. Look at Gandhi’s Indian non-violent revolution against the British.

Every major movement of the masses occurred only after the critical point was reached and people took to the streets and demanded truth and justice.

Government is ALWAYS the responsibility of the people governed. Whatever they accept, they get, ALWAYS.

Once again I ask, What heinous act must this administration commit, for YOU to be out in the streets in protest?

[lindashaw]

16. I'll be in Crawford on the 23rd.

Standing in the street.

[caduceus]

17. What act will cause you to get up out of your seat right now?

n/t

[maha]

20. I would stand up to smack you

Your assumption seems to be that if we are not "in the streets" we are not resisting the Bush Regime. Excuse me, son, but that's just f*** up.

[maha]

19. ???

Some of us have already been in the streets, and what did it was the Iraq War.

But being "in the streets" has limited effect, and can even be counterproductive in some circumstances. If your sole measure of resistance to the Bush Regime is being "in the streets," I'd say you need to broaden your horizons.

[DagmarK]

22. Caduceus, figured you would get the standard DU line ......

Everyone has their excuse and justification for still sitting in their chair, including the "well, I wasn't in my chair yesterday".

I do it too.

I can't imagine anything changing in this country unless and until hordes of people go to DC and camp out in front of the white house and STAY THERE until this insanity stops. That's the only thing I see as really working.....

[Iris]

18. to be honest

I'm focusing on looking out for myself and my family. For whatever reason, people seem to like the way things are going - or are at least to ignorant to see the consequences that await all of us down the road. If there were some sort of upsurge from the masses, I would participate, but I'm at the point that I don't care to put myself out there when so many people are out there voting against their own interests.

In the meantime, I'm sticking to 1 planned child (who knows when we'll have to start forking out thousands of dollars just for a decent education?), getting (and staying) out of debt, and trying to make the most of life in a hideous time.


PS - I'm also hoping busc & co. will fuck things up so badly that we'll be looking at several Democratic admins. in the near future.

[lindashaw]

21. A page out of my book...

We don't owe anyone a single cent. Home and 17 acres are paid for in a small town in the hottest part of Texas, the most polluted air in the entire country, thanks to you-know-who. But we hope we can survive on the path that this Administration is taking us down. If history teaches us anything, it is that people can only take so much. One day they really will take to the streets, and it won't be something they'll put on television. I think we'll all be afraid when it happens.

[Iris]

40. thanks.

I feel less lonely now!

But, yeah, every once in a while I wonder if the powers that be ever even heard of the French Revolution.

[BigLed]

23. cancelling the 2004 election

would do it for me, and the whole country I hope. And I have been in the streets already for the pre war demos. But its hard to imagine an out right cancellation. The will rely on BBV instead.

[caduceus]

24. If the US was attacked by a foreign force,

I have no doubt that all of us would fight in any capacity we could, to defend our country. Our reaction would require little time, beyond temporarily securing our loved ones to answer the call. Not that it would be a knee/jerk reaction, but it would be a fully conscious, highly devoted and patriotic reaction.

What act committed by this administration would cause you to respond as if our country was really under attack? I mean to the same degree as above?

I keep stressing this point because few if any of us have established a line in the bloodied mud (forget sand) which we absolutely refuse to cross. Without that clearly established line, blazing in the forefront of our consciousness, this administration will get away with every transgression they try.

So, what is it for you?

[maha]

25. Underlying assumption

Are you saying the only legitimate resistance to the Regime is armed rebellion?

[caduceus]

26. Please be very careful...

I NEVER said "armed" anything! I do not believe in using arms to make political changes. I refuse to be associated with anything related to it.

First you want to slap me for my question. Now you are putting words in my text.

I think the question is simple enough. For example, if the unacceptable act for the majority of Americans (or even a large minority) was the installation of an unelected president, selected by the Supreme Court, we probably wouldn't be were we are today.

So, how far are we all will to go?

[ewagner]

30. How far we will all go

depends on a couple of things, I think.

First, in order to take action there has to be some reasonable expectation that the action will have the desired (or at least positive) results.

Second, in order to obtain significant numbers of participants, the action requested has to be something that common folks can do EASILY

Lets face it, Dubya was able to shrug off the anti-war movement as a "Focus Group". Beside the obvious fact that the remark was stupid, it was glombed onto by the vast majority to marginalize the brave and really dedicated protestors.

I think a lot more people would join in some kind of protest against specific policies of this administration if we could be very very creative in finding a means and opportunity to do it.

Anxious to hear your thoughts.

[caduceus]

31. I'm not asking what you think would cause a mass revolt.

Nor am I strategizing on how to arrange one.

I am asking what your specific threshold is.

We have become a country of complacency and comfort. If there is nothing that we can think of to move us, individually, out of that state, we have no future.

The fact that we are having such a difficult time with this question should be very revealing to each and every one of us.

[maha]

36. Make yourself clear, then.

You keep saying "in the streets." Just what do you want us to do in the streets?

Some of us have already been "in the streets" against Iraq. I'm happy to go "into the streets" anytime to oust the Bush Regime. But that's only part of what needs to be done, and IMO the least part.

Are you suggesting that if we're not "in the streets" doing whatever you think people do in streets, we aren't working hard enough to get rid of Bush?

[psychopomp]

27. If they did something *really* KA-RAAAZY

Like, you know, dig up John Poindexter and give him a blank check to run secret projects at the Pentagon, and like, do it while launching an endless war on people who were Muslims or something, have secret detentions with no hope for release, put a "compleat idiot" compensated psychopath in charge of it all or something like that..

[wickerwoman]

28. Already have...

it was the prospect of going to war with Iraq with a draft-age brother.

I've been to every major march in DC and NYC since March 2002.

As for everyone else, I would say martial law will do it. Sufficient proof of election fraud in 2004.

What will turn people against Bush, but not necessarily lead to protest and resistence? Another major stock crash. Military families speaking out against the conditions of troops in Iraq. Another major front in the war on terror will break Bush, especially if it's North Korea. The only worrisome thing is how many innocent citizens of the world are going down with him.

[leftofthedial]

29. suspension of all civil liberties

martial law

cancellation of election

closing down of venues like DU

[hippiechick]

32. See Voltaire's Thread about the Gov Conference in Indy...

...IPD, the Indy Fire Dep't, and the ATF :wtf:
'visited' a bookstore last night where a local nonviolent organizing group was meeting to plan protest activities for this weekend's Governor's Conference.

The bookstore was cited for 15 violations, and attendee's were given tickets for 'parking further than 10" from the curb' ...

Intimidation tactics ? Oh, just a little bit.
Time to call the ACLU and whoever else will listen.


:hippie:

[leftofthedial]

33. this is an outrage

but as unamerican as it is, it will take a much more widespread, Kristalnacht-style trampling of rights by federal authorities to be "the straw that breaks the camel's back."

Local cops and authorities have frequently used strongarm tactics to preemptively suppress possible organized dissention when a high profile event comes to town. I don't necessarily see linkage to the Bush Junta.

Nevertheless, it is wrong and should be protested and opposed. Those responsible should be brought to task.

[hippiechick]

34. This camel's back's been sore awhile ...

... and hearing this earlier today caused 'the final snap' (Recall, Indy was the site of the Bush protestor arrested for 'violently waving' the UN Flag at the Shrub's motorcade in May.)

These Farkers have gone too far.

Hippie's pissed. And it ain't a pretty thing. :hippie:

[leftofthedial]

35. I hear you

my back is killing me too.

[sandnsea]

39. It'll be something silly

I guarantee you that. Look at Bush1 throwing up in Japan or waving the 'peace' sign in Australia or 'read my lips'. And Clinton, 'a little town called Hope'.

Simple things that people glommed onto. Sad to say, I'm not sure any real issues will actually wake the people up.

For me, I don't think there's alot of hope for an 'outraged' public to take to the streets like you mean. America is the land of the free, don't you remember?

[dback]

41. If they actually amend the Constitution with a "marriage protection" act

My partner and I have agreed we are out of this frigging country if they do that. Fortunately, it looks like an extreme longshot to ever pass.

Short of that, I already spent the weeks before last fall's election standing on a traffic island near a major thoroughfare with an anti-Bush sign; I'll probably do it again starting in September of next year, ever Saturday through November.

I don't know what it'd take to get me to D.C. and in front of the White House--people are already dying daily in Iraq for the benefit of Bush's re-election fund, and the general populace seems to barely notice. (Kobe! Scott Peterson! California recall!) Maybe it's time for us to set up a nationwide demonstration schedule for the next 15 months?