One last word on Zel Miller...

[mumon]

http://mumonno.blogspot.com/2004/09/one-last-word-on-zel-miller.html

Sorry to shamelessly link from my blog, but this has to be said, dammit!

"For it has been said so truthfully," said Miller, "that it is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest."

Not exactly, Zel.

The soldier has also taken away freedom of speech in places like China, Chile, El Salvador, and a host of other places.

The soldier has, at times, fought for liberty, true enough.

But that liberty is only realized by people putting liberty in action, by uttering and penning and disseminating uncomfortable and upopular truths, and by assembling in places that many wish they would not. Civil liberties are meaningless unless they are used.

[patrice]

1. We stand in K.C. with our homemade signs - for 5:00 pm traffic

going home (@ Tues. - and also on Sats. and Suns.). I have many signs; people actually read them on the red lights. We have about 30 of us who keep this up . . . The honking keeps us coming back!

[mumon]

2. Going to some of the anti-war demos...

I felt aware that this took a tiny, wee bit of courage, actually- here was a bunch of people in the streets, doing something our government wished we didn't do.

That is free speech.

[patrice]

3. I LOVE the demonstrations; haven't had any time and $ to go lately.

Demonstrations big and small are very powerful actions. Chomsky says demonstrations are the first tool of empowerment.