Saturday, June 28, 2008
Striking Back
When I speak to distraught young people, I tell them anecdotes from my organizing experience, some of which are included in my book. They seem to find that inspiring. Knowing that there are numbers of fellow citizens willing to do something makes it less lonely; discussing this stuff makes the lessons worthwhile.
People over-complicate things, let themselves be overwhelmed by the scale of criminal negligence in the world.
In reality, the crimes we see emanating from high-level operatives in Congress or the White House rely on an extensive network of support from the local to the international. Striking back at their vulnerable points wherever opportunities arise may appear to be futile when we allow ourselves to be distracted by big league spectacle, but weakening our enemies one community at a time can have amazing results.
In Blind Spots: A Citizen's Memoir, I presented some useful local tactics, as well as strategic discussions about what has worked in terms of regional cooperation in fighting the anti-democratic movement. There is no silver bullet to rid ourselves of this menace once and for all; it takes constant research, education, organizing and community action to make any headway.