http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/public_protest.html The Law, the Universe, and Everything Sun, 22 Nov 2009 15:33:39 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.3 hourly 1 http://www.concurringopinions.com/archives/2007/09/public_protest.html/comment-page-1#comment-52532 Anonymous Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:17:02 +0000 http://www.solove.org/archives/2007/09/public-protest-militarization-and-critical-democratic-moments.html#comment-52532 These police tactics almost seem designed to perpetuate the war by cowing the masses and scaring them away from protesting. People are less willing to go out and make their voices heard when they anticipate being harassed, arrested, or beaten. If there is no protest, what strength is there to turn the political tide? Opinion polls are not as persuasive as thousands of bodies. But who would turn out in numbers (something already inconvenient and time-consuming) when their lives stand to be interrupted further by interrogations and arrests, investigations, or even knocks on the door. Going outside to peacefully protest should not necessitate the saving up of bail money. When would Vietnam have ended if not for massive public protest? Some of it was silly, some of it was violent, and some of it involved the “the mixing of music and political rhetoric indicat[ing] sophisticated organizing skills with a specific agenda.” But all of this was considered important and even necessary by the very same generation of people who are now trying to squelch it. Chilling indeed. These police tactics almost seem designed to perpetuate the war by cowing the masses and scaring them away from protesting. People are less willing to go out and make their voices heard when they anticipate being harassed, arrested, or beaten. If there is no protest, what strength is there to turn the political tide? Opinion polls are not as persuasive as thousands of bodies. But who would turn out in numbers (something already inconvenient and time-consuming) when their lives stand to be interrupted further by interrogations and arrests, investigations, or even knocks on the door. Going outside to peacefully protest should not necessitate the saving up of bail money. When would Vietnam have ended if not for massive public protest? Some of it was silly, some of it was violent, and some of it involved the “the mixing of music and political rhetoric indicat[ing] sophisticated organizing skills with a specific agenda.” But all of this was considered important and even necessary by the very same generation of people who are now trying to squelch it. Chilling indeed.

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