TimesMichael, there are all sorts of positions, obviously, to take on this. Some of my friends want repression, that old theory... things will get worse and people will rise up ... blah, blah, blah. I used to support this position. Today I ask, what is possible? I can run in front of the train, but I'll likely be squashed. Maybe I could feel like a martyr? Blowing up buildings and stopping trains, which I formerly advocated, somehow seems to miss the point. And it would be hard to make a point with that type of action today. Except for the WTO in Seattle. Hats off the young anarchist. At least the establishment knows there COULD be a price to pay for polluting and robbing the earth. What can be done? Who will support it? The current issue of establishment environmentalism, Sierra, the Sierra Club magazine, features young people with some radical actions to change the politics on the environmental front. They could use our support and encouragement. And so could Earth First! Politics slipped a ways back there and hopefully most of us noticed... there are few "pure" political movements today (except for a number of us white ex-radicals with big ideas). People work in all sorts of capacities for change, so we might as well hook in for the ride and give a push. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle, a dam stopped here, a creek saved there, a vote in the state legislature to affect foreign policy there, etc. Gradual, slow, prodding but we keep at it for some dogged reason. Elections are a time to promote politics... and nowadays, I'm supporting a politics of the possible, not a politics of what "should be" or "what it makes sense to be," or a moral position, but politics that we can get others to go along with. Sure I criticize the Democrats for their middle of the road conservatism, vote for the lesser of two evils, as you all say, withhold funds and lobby them to change their ways. Basically, we still need to educate people to our point of view part, we haven't proved successful craming change down their throat. The right has been excellent changing people's points of view, to see their interest exactly the opposite of what their true interest are; they have the whole country moved to the right by lavishly spending on changing people's opinion. Advertising. We've been out maneuvered. They convince people that their right wing way of looking at things is the only way. How do we rally our constituency and speak to people's basic needs? Where's the money for think tanks from those of us who were active in the 60s? Who still believe in many of the politics we did then? Where are the op-eds? the books? the pr releases, the speakers going out, etc. If we can't change people's minds and we can't convince them to take a long term view in their own interest- it's not a bad idea to try to reach them anyway-we won't get very far. And don't forget to also change their hearts. It's a tall order, but we can affect some change. I just didn't expect so many of our generation to replace the old farts like Cheney, first of all, and secondly, how do we compete, not with religion, but with shopping, American hedonism? A hell of a large order. Support the young! best, Don Monkerud Santa Cruz >All this Third Party stuff ain't goin' >nowhere unless we get rid of the winner- >take-all single member district system >and change it to multi-member districts >and proportional representation. > >Commenting on the American situation, >Friedrich Engels recognized this in >1893, in a letter to a colleague. Earlier >I quoted from it on this list. > >Too bad the American left never has >caught up with Engels. > >As for me, I ain't shedding any tears >over the evil of two lessors not getting >elected, and I think it's really strange >to see leftists gnashing their teeth over >this. > >~~ Michael Wright > Norman, Oklahoma