BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope

Subject: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 01:49 PM

I deeply hope this story is true and not someone's wishful thinking. I tried googling it, jeevesing it, snopesing it and yahoo!ing it (ha!) and all of the links led to the first story.

Future American Lawyers at Georgetown

"Alberto Gonzales spoke before law students at Georgetown Law School today, justifying illegal, unauthorized surveillance of US citizens, but during the course of his speech the students in class did something pretty ballsy and brave. They got up from their seats and turned their backs to him."

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Alba
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:14 PM

Well Ebbie the Dean of Georgetown mentions the incident here:Clicky

Like yourself I cannot seem to find any media mention but never the less it is a hopeful sign:)
Thank you for posting about it.
Love and Light
Jude

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:31 PM

That is fantastic!

I did find independent confirmation that it really did happen:

CBS News and,

USATODAY.

kat

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Amos
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:53 PM

Ebbie:

What is of special interest to me is the threads in response to the story on the site you posted.

With very slight exceptuions they applaud the students who stood up in public to the United States Attorney General and his weaselly sense of law.

(And BTW, this was posted on the Popular Views of the Bush Administration thread back at the end of January.... :D).

Regards,


A

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 02:59 PM

At last a bit of 60's spirit from the young. All we need now is a Phil Ochs revival...and why not?

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Janie
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 03:06 PM

Thanks for bringing it to our attention. Another ray of hope (at least I think it will be) is the reformation of a national SDS.

Hopefully this organization can prove to be more cohesive than the original. While I was inspired by the SDS in many ways, they quickly became too radical for my comfort during my student years. But the young, activist left has been pretty invisible for way too long. We need them badly

Here are links to their press release on MLK day and to their national site (the website and links to local chapters are not real impressive--I think they are very nacent in an attempt to become national again.

http://www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org/index.html

And I can't get the other blue clicky to work. It is available through their SDS news link.

Janie

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: katlaughing
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 04:36 PM

HeyaJanie,

Thanks for that! I like that the Denver Chapter doesn't care about age, nor if one is enrolled in a degree program; just engaged in learning. I also noticed the "join us" application had no request for age. This si exciting!

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: GUEST,G
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 04:56 PM

Protest is good, rudeness is not. Not attending would have been appropiate. 12 students out of hundreds does not make much of a statement.

Someone referred to the sixties - can someone remind me what all my activities back then helped change what we have today?

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Ebbie
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:00 PM

"And BTW, this was posted on the Popular Views of the Bush Administration thread back at the end of January.... " Amos

You don't say! gulp

Guest/G, that's kind of lame, wouldn't you say? This kind of dramatic action makes the news- not attending a class does not, and thus it follows that when somethng makes the news other people may get inspired, or at least hopeful. I love hope.

Incidentally the actions taken in the 60s were not wasted.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Once Famous
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:05 PM

Some of you old hippies on this thread are absolutely laughable.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: bobad
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:07 PM

The pot calls the kettle black.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: DougR
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:21 PM

Ebbie: you are actually proud of the action of those young people? Rudeness of the first order is what I call it. Incidentially, I wouldn't expect that any of those young people bother to apply for jobs in the Department of Justice. ACLU might have them though.

DougR

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Once Famous
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:31 PM

They were rude, DougR.

ACLU would gladly have that type of lawyer.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 09:52 PM

Martin gibson calls someone else rude?

Wow

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Once Famous
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:28 PM

Tremendous, isn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Amos
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 10:43 PM

Yeah. Rosa Parkes was kind of rude too, not giving her seat up like that when it was expected of her. And that Martin Luther King fella, talk about rabble rousing. Who do these trouble-makers think they are?

A

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 11:08 PM

Yeah, this is the real deal and looks like the only way wer're going to wrestle our corrupt government back is from the ground up... These kids a Georgetown ain't like Justice Department appopintee but they sho nuff made it clear than Gonzales and the Ye Boys are gonna get some prssure from "below"...

But in the bug scheme of things, it's looking more and more the Bushites largest enemy are the colleges and sate and local governments where folks are moving on with America...

I find it heart warming to find that over 130 state and local governemnts have increased the minimum wage since Bush took office...

Hey, yeah, there are rays of hope everywhere... except IN Washington, D.C. and hey, even the D.C. Governemnt is moving forward with their plans to redevelope Anacostia... Long overdur...

Yeah, inspite of the Bushites, I am not only hopefull but I am of the mind that right will win out over evil...

BObert

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Kaleea
Date: 06 Feb 06 - 11:44 PM

Aged hippies unite! Play that scratchy ol' "Born to be Wild" record & get to work!
   It's gonna take some serious rabble rousing to take down dubblepew after all the loss of civil liberties. Perhaps we need some rebels to do some rousing rebelling.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: katlaughing
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 12:00 AM

I'm too young to be an aged hippie...

throwing that tea overboard was decidely rude, too..my, my, thou doest protest too much!

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: CarolC
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 12:10 AM

Ebbie: you are actually proud of the action of those young people? Rudeness of the first order is what I call it.

Democracy is messy. Get used to it.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: GUEST,dianavan
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 01:02 AM

I am overjoyed! America is not dead!

Sock it to 'em!

Way to go, youngsters. Grab that torch and run! The world needs you. There's a whole generation of baby boomers that will support you 100%.

Fight the good battle. We love you!

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Barry Finn
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 01:03 AM

Does anyone really oppose this type of action. This country was founded & based on these types of action. This type of reaction was called for by our founding fathers. Tell them this is rude. HA, HA, HA. You aren't serious, are you? To not question, speak or act is as criminal as the criminal act itself & it is not a crime if one is wrong. That is what keeps a government honest.
Barry

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: michaelr
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 01:27 AM

Only fat cat reactionaries like DougR and that despicable "Martin Gibson" person are able to oppose what is the foundation of our democracy:

Dissent.

It's a public duty.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: JennyO
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 07:46 AM

Shades of that scene in "Dead Poets Society"

"Oh captain my captain......"

This is the kind of erosion of our freedom that MUST be challenged. It does my heart good to see people standing up to be counted!

Jenny

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Tinker
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 08:05 AM

This form of protest also has history in the Church. When a replacement minister was sent to my husband'g Grandmother's congregation many years ago She and the rest of the congregation stood and turnt their back's rather than allow him to preach. If they accepted his preaching he would have been their new minister and they were going to be clear that they did not want his style of ministry.

All forms of non-violent protest take part of their strength in rudeness.

I find this extremely hopeful especially since my daughter's tour of Georgetown was led by an extremely conservative young man who left me wtih a very disquieting feeling.

Tinker

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 08:30 AM

And lets not loose sight of the rulings that Gonzalez has made as Bush'e yes man: it's not only domestic spying but goes well beyond spying... It was Gonzalez who was ordered to find some legal jsutification in torturing folks, which clearly violates international law...

I mean, how bonehead can one guy be... "Ahhhhh, Mr. President, if we just snatch folks and fly them (render) to another country to be tortured then it's legal"... Like, a big ol' Hmmmmmmmmm? What law school did he graduate from??? I mean if undergraduates and professors accross the county have figured out that Gonzalaz is on shakey ground here, why can anyone relaly belive his rationizations for breaking the law???

Bobert

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: jacqui.c
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 08:37 AM

I have always hoped that, in the unlikely event that I was in a position to do it, that I would turn my nack on the leaders of both the UK and the USA to show my contempt for the self serving style of government be practised in both countries. That will probably never happen but I applaud young people who, given the opportunity, did just that thing.

The governments of both countries show, IMHO, great contempt for the common man. That this is given back is at least a start. Staying away from class would be like not voting - absence does not make the sort of statement that these kids did.

Subject: RE: BS: The Future of America? A Ray of Hope
From: Alba
Date: 07 Feb 06 - 08:45 AM

Indeed Jacqui.
Long may they feel the need to turn their backs on anyone, no matter who it is, that holds a position in Goverment who is standing in front of them twisting the Truth.
If anyone was being rude and patronizing at Georgetown that particular day it was Gonzales.
The Future is in the hands of the Young.
This particular Group and many other Young People that are expressing their right to peaceful demonstration against policies or statements that are unjust are to be admired, not ridiculed IMO