Posted on 07/13/2006 4:36:10 AM PDT by cf_river_rat
Anti-war activists in Fayetteville are exploring ways to take their protests up a notch, including the idea of civil disobedience and helping nurture resistance within the military.
The discussion marks a significant shift in strategy for peace groups based around Fort Bragg. They have deliberately avoided police clashes at their vigils and demonstrations since 2001.
Not since Vietnam and the civil rights movement has the city seen regular “direct-action” protests, the kind at which participants cause some sort of nonviolent disruption — and sometimes get arrested.
But activists say such demonstrations may be the best way to continue focusing public attention on calls to bring troops home from Iraq.
Plus, direct-action protests — more common in large cities than military towns — tend to get a lot of attention. During Vietnam, huge demonstrations put pressure on Washington to pull U.S. forces out of the war.
The groups are motivated in part by the public refusals of a few servicemen to fight in Iraq. Army Lt. Ehren Watada, based at Fort Lewis, Wash., is one of them. He faces up to seven years in prison when he goes to trial this fall. His case has groups around the country planning demonstrations.
Lou Plummer, a Fayetteville activist, said there is discussion about doing more to help Fort Bragg soldiers who are unhappy about the war. No one expects the kind of Vietnam-era marches with soldiers in the streets any time soon. But Plummer and other activists say dissatisfaction with the government’s handling of Iraq is growing within the military’s ranks.
“What you’re beginning to talk about is like a GI underground railroad,” said Plummer, who works with Fayetteville Peace with Justice.
“We may be moving into a phase in our activism to see what we can do to give GIs more information about what they can do to refuse to serve,” he said.
One venue could be a coffee house in Fayetteville where soldiers would pick up anti-war literature and discuss military policy — another throwback to the Vietnam era. Plummer said some within the peace organizations are interested in establishing such a business.
On Wednesday, activist leader Clare Bayard from San Francisco met with Plummer and Chuck Fager, the head of the Fayetteville Quaker House, as well as other local activists. Bayard is involved with demonstrations over Watada’s court martial and travels around the country helping groups organize.
“We’ve been exercising our freedom of speech and (President) Bush doesn’t seem to care,” she said. “How can we make it more a social cost and have a bigger impact?’’
Some possibilities include holding sit-ins, hanging banners from overpasses and leading marches. Bayard participated in a protest that shut down San Francisco’s financial district in 2003. She also described to the Fayetteville activists how groups in Oakland, Calif., marched to a military recruiter’s office and painted the outside.
“As the movement in Fayetteville matures,” Plummer said, “there could be interest in doing well-planned, coordinated direct action. I’m interested in learning more about that.’’
Fayetteville’s peace groups regularly hold vigils at the Market House, where they wave posters and read the names of war dead. Reaction from motorists can be mixed.
During a Fourth of July vigil — which took place while Bush was at Fort Bragg — a soldier hopped out of his truck and yelled at protestors until a police officer arrived and made him step away. But protestors said another soldier and his wife approached the activists and took home fliers.
GI Underground railroad?
These nutters do realise there is no longer a draft, right?
"What you're beginning to talk about sounds like TREASON, dhimmi coward!"
In WW II, most Americans did not care about the firebombing of Tokyo---but they were deeply concerned about the kamikazes.
This is important because the military has already adapted, and has steadily worked to keep casualties low, Americans alive, and the enemy dead, dead, dead.
The FO loves Plummer, Fager, and their dhimmi accomplices in Fayetteville. LeClercq is always there spewing their anti-America rhetoric. I'm beginning to think he's already picked sides, and gets a paycheck from the FO to put a clean face on dirty hippies.
I`m sure the Army`s keeping an eye on these leftists and any GI foolish
enough to associate with them.
I saw Jane Fonda in a KFC in Fayettevile when she was there for a big
FTA rally.
I still wish she had been charged with treason for the damage she did
to the Army and this country during the VN War.
[::checks out book on Amazon, out of idle curiousity; does a classic spit-take::]
Hey! I have one of your earlier works on my reference shelf! (Great job, incidentally!) :)
Sounds like the system functions as designed, then. You've gotten your say, and yet the elected official is still free to exercise his own conscience.
I heard you on Rush with Tom Sullivan yesterday. You did an excellent job. I hope to buy your book soon.
They should be brought to justice and punished accordingly, up to and including the death penalty in certain cases.
I am on it, sir.
Heard you with Tom Sullivan on Rush's show yesterday (I have the podcast so I'm a day behind). Will be ordering your book from Newsmax today. Sounds like a great read.
Thanks---that one is a big non seller :( but I got paid an advance for it. But it is a good reference.
Thanks! It was a great half hour.
Thanks so much! Sales have skyrocketed, not just on that book, but on all my works. Heck, my NOVEL, which was buried, now is performing better than some big name libs' books.
I missed the title of your 9-11 Novel - can you provide it again - might as well buy them both!
I don'r normally condone illegal activity, but if someone were to torch that coffeehouse ......
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