After Downing Street and CODEPINK Rock Santa Cruz

I have nothing but respect for the organizers and the guests at this event, but I wanted to share my impressions. Thank you for your hard work bringing Medea, Karen, and David to Santa Cruz.

Here were several hundred of Santa Cruz's most dedicated champions of peace and justice gathered in a room. People who no doubt have already written their representatives, who've talked to friends and family and anyone who'll listen about issues of peace and war and imperialism, who have worked in their community to speak truth to power. All these amazing people, a cross-section of the community, weighed a bit more heavily toward a mature, white, liberal segment of Santa Cruz.

The advice that came from the stage to this community of well-meaning, well-healed, energetic activists? Write your representatives and get the word out.

Here was Medea Benjamin who has spent her entire career challenging not just politicians, but the entire system with deliberate and effective direct action telling activists in Santa Cruz to call and write their representatives. It was a squandered opportunity.

People were waiting to hear what more they could do. We were looking toward these inspiring firebrands to suggest what more we can do beyond the usual ineffectual drudgery within the system.

I would have been touched to hear Karen Meredith of Goldstar Families stand up and challenge us: "I lost my only son, now what concrete actions are you going to take tomorrow to stop this war?"

I would have been thrilled to hear Medea and David stand up and say: "You've already written congress. You've already gotten the word out. It's time for you to take direct action. In whatever way you feel comfortable, in whatever way suits your talents and passions, in whatever way you are willing to risk, stop the machine that creates war and poverty and injustice. It's time for you to show what you will risk so that others may simply live in peace. It's time to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable."

It was noted at the event that it was the three year anniversary to the day that several million people marched worldwide to preemptively stop this preemptive war. And it was also sadly noted that with all those voices raised, all the media received, all the arguments heard that it didn't budge the system an inch.

After three years, we can see it isn't enough to get the word out. It isn't enough to deal with the people most deeply entrenched within the system, our so-called representatives. It isn't enough to work within that system of money and power and privilege. And it absolutely isn't enough to just raise our voices without raising our fists as well.

As Mario Savio said in 1964, "When the operation of the machine becomes so odious ... you've got to throw your body upon the wheels, upon the gears, upon the levers, and upon all the apparatus of the machine, and you're got to make it stop."

We need more direct, more creative, and more radical solutions.

There were plenty of ideas presented at this event, many of which are being implemented and are having tangible impacts *now*. These ideas go beyond just contacting your representatives and talking to friends and family. They involve strategy and organizing many people from many sectors of society.

Organized campaigns are often a lot of hard work and don't always yield the results you want;however, they also can can mobilize a lot of people, which always strengthens the impact of a message.

Sometimes organized campaigns can appear unglamorous and lack "sex appeal". Hashing out the wording for a resolution, for example, is tedious. However, it is one of the necessary steps to make lasting change. It also holds true for our community (in a strong provision barring police from spying on peaceful citizens, for example.)

While I support people engaging in *nonviolent* direct action, I think they should seriously consider the cost/benefit ratio of their actions. Some people are willing to go jail and can continue to support themselves even with an arrest record, while others can't do that. An important question to ask might be could you be more useful inside or outside? (One young "born again" Christian zealot once said, "I'd be happy to die for Jesus, but it's the day-to-day thing that I'm having problems with." Religious implications aside, I think most people who are working for a cause can relate to this frustrating feeling of day-to-day helplessness. Sometimes the dramatic is more appealing but isn't necessarity as useful.) Just because someone uses different tactics than another person doesn't mean that those efforts should be written off.

Participating in a political campaign involves more than just writing an e-letter to your representative through moveon.org. It includes visiting and lobbying representatives, producing materials for outreach and getting the message out to others. No matter what action you decide on, the latter will always be a need in the movement.

Another aspect of change that David Swanson emphasized was the importance of independent media. A lot of "progressives" say they support independent media, but when push comes to shove, they rely on the corporate media to tell their side of the story. When it doesn't happen, they sulk and they say that the system doesn't work. That is true -- it doesn't work -- and it is up to each of us to continue to create a new one that does work. Screw the corporate-owned, manipulated media and equip people with the tools they need to make their own. That is one radical and practical suggestion.

Not to be outdone, the Santa Cruz Chapter of the Raging Grannies performed a couple of songs to an enthusiastic crowd on February 15th.

Raging Grannies sing at the SC Vets Hall, Feb 15, 2006.

David Swanson and Medea Benjamin at the Veterans Hall in Santa Cruz, CA, Feb 15, 2006.

I appreciate the list of actions that Peace Child pointed out in her article! - and as Rico said, there are always more and different ones that can be done as well!

for a LONG time now, I have felt that we need massive numbers of people willing to engage in civil disobedience, again and again, to bring this madness to an end - much like the dedication of Gandhi's and King's followers!! - a mobilization two or three times a year just will not do it! - but we are so entitled and comfortable here in the 'ol US of A

one thing David Swanson emphasizes in much of what he writes is - DO NOT GIVE EVEN ONE CENT OF SUPPORT TO THE CORPORATE MEDIA - SPEND YOUR DOLLARS ON THE ALTERNATIVE MEDIA!

I think this is really important, and has clear, local ramifications

what if every person who thinks of themselves as progressive, liberal, or even a democrat would cancel their subscription to the SC Sentinel, sending them a letter objecting to their very slanted reporting and biased editorial policies - what if they got 2000 cancellations in two weeks - believe me, they would notice!!!

and the idea of buying ads or full page displays from them when needed.....geeze!

we vote at the ballot box once every year or two, but we vote everyday with our dollars

last June, in response to the release of the Downing Street memos, we held an action at the offices of the Sentinel itself, in honor of Father's Day - we called it 'Take it to the Media", and we demanded coverage of the real effects of this war and occupation, including the photos of the dead and wounded, ours and theirs, on the front page, every day - the media played a major role in stopping the Vietnam war, after all - of course, they were much more independent then!

how about a coordinated day of national action, at the offices of the corporate media, with civil disobedience involved? - this might be one more step we could pursue

BTW - Indymedia rocks, as do many of the on-line alternative sources and outlets!!

see you on the Good Cause Trail

peace and full disclosure now
sherry