You are right Bobert. This thread, just like this fight to prevent a widening unilateral US war on the Middle East, isn't about anti-war folk vs. the military. It is about armchair liberals like you vs more radical activists like myself, right? You come in here claiming you know everything there is to know about passive *and* aggressive resistance to the war machine. You claim your way of resisting is not only morally superior to all others, but the one and only right way of preventing the war from widening. Nonviolent direct action to confront the war machine is what Bobert--aiding and abetting the enemy? I don't think so. And if you don't mind, I'll side with the ANC and the Sandinistas and the War Resisters' League and other radical pacifists of that ilk than somebody shooting off their mouth in an internet forum about folk music.

What you are doing Bobert, IMO, is claiming that you have some privleged, authoritative position regarding peace activism, when you don't. Your tactics of denoucing people who have a tremendous amount of legitimacy and respect within the peace movement, both here in the US as well as internationally, just shows who's side you are really on--the status quo's side. The safe, middle class way of not rocking your own boat, damn the consequences for the rest of the world.

If all we as Americans are about is polite conversation and hand wringing and "ain't it awful" posts in internet chat groups, why bother? Sure, I could be sweet as honey, but all that gets is agreement. Is that what we need here? More agreement? Nobody rocking our worlds? At least I shake people out of their complacency, which is a whole lot more than what the rest of you are doing here in the forum, shooting off your mouths as if you were advisors to Kofi Annan.

Civil discourse, in a country blessed by one hundred fifty years of peace, is something you all are taking much too much for granted. Would that people living in the war zones watching their children die of diseases that are wholly preventable and curable, or having their wedding bombed by "accident" had such a bloody luxury.

And I know why you prefer talking to Doug, Nicole. For the same reason why all of you would prefer to just chat among yourselves and cluck your tongues about how awful that bad man Bush is. Polite people make you feel safe, regardless of their values.

Sorry, but I don't play that game. Nor do I play the bullshit divide and conquer games that Bobert is engaging in. He is much more busy denouncing people busting Nordstrom's windows, than he is denouncing the violence our country is perpetrating on Afghanistan, Palestine, and Iraq. Why? Well, those people can't touch us. They can do us no harm. But the opinions of our peers here is comfy, cozy, safe America can cause us all kinds of dangers, can't they Bobert? Why, people lose their jobs, their homes, and their freedom for daring to speak out and resist the US war machine. I'm sure none of you here are willing to shake up your sacred status quo lives by actually getting out of your armchairs and getting to work on the anti-war campaign than you are willing to rock the Mudcat boat. You aren't willing to upset your fellow Americans--who might just turn you in to the Justice Department, after all. That would be much too dangerous. Just like I am.