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NonViolent Action - It starts with a look in the mirror (I)
From: John Murtari (jmurtari@kids-right.org)
This is a message from a mailing list, members@kids-right.org Unsubscribe instructions at bottom of message. ====================================================================== Good People & People of Faith, The last several weeks have been very "eventful." You may want to check the site for current info on events in Syracuse, http://www.AKidsRight.Org/actionc_syr -- but to briefly recap. * On Aug 28th I appeared in front of City Judge Young and he appears to be ready to prosecute. He did not want to dismiss the trespass charges, and while my attorney is still going to argue a Motion for Dismissal on Oct. 10th -- there is little doubt in our minds that it will go to trial. And since trespass is a minor offense, there is no jury, just the Judge, and I think I know what the verdict will be. * This weekend - I will be flying out west to see my Son Domenic for the weekend. My mother (86) will be coming also (she hasn't missed a trip!). Dom and I have been talking every few days and are looking forward to putting a new model F-16 together. Among a list of about 20 other colors, it requires gray, light gray, dark gray, & smoke gray. Imagine that! * Next week (Sep 18th, Wed) - I will be arraigned by a Federal Magistrate for the Northern District of New York (Syracuse). It will be at 9am. Given the speed with which this came up it also seems the local US Attorney's office may be ready to prosecute. Anyone intresting in attending is welcome. * Next week (Sep 19th, Thur) - I will be returning to the Syracuse Federal Building to continue "our" efforts outside the offices of Senator Hillary R. Clinton. This will probably result in arrest number seven. Imagine that! After the dismissal of 21 prior charges, these may finally "stick." Anyone interested in watching or participating is welcome! Wow, could anyone ever imagine you could get in this much "trouble" for just wanting to talk to your US Senator about a serious family issue? But seriously, the purpose of the effort was to show the willingness of loving parents to make voluntary sacrifice for the sake of their kids and those of others (NonViolent Action). Some people may think the attempt is foolish, but I'm sure Senator Clinton's local staff is keeping track of events. As long as only ONE person is arrested and potentially tried, he is just a "crank," acting alone. If even one or two more people get involved, it becomes a "movement." A public trial could bring media attention and be an embarrassment. A meeting would become almost a certainty and we would begin to have some focused national attention on "our" issue. Your participation is welcome: http://www.AKIdsRight.Org/actionc_syr In the remainder of this message (and maybe another) I wanted to share some thoughts I've had on NonViolent Action and share a recent personal experience with a Syracuse Police Officer. ================================ How to influence Senator Clinton ================================ Just a few days ago I saw the following news story come across the net. I include the text below, it caught my eye since it was about a use of what they called nonviolent action: ------------------------------- Furor rages about whether the Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC), a private club that hosts the Masters Golf Tournament, should admit women as members. But the continuing flood of commentary misses a key aspect of the debate: the woman's group pushing for admission is not using governmental might but the strategy of "nonviolent action" <http://www.peacemagazine.org/198.htm> -- and they are using it superlatively. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> excerpts from above site <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< COMMUNICATIONS WITH A WIDER AUDIENCE 7. Slogans, caricatures, and symbols GROUP REPRESENTATIONS 14. Mock awards SYMBOLIC PUBLIC ACTS 30. Rude gestures PRESSURES ON INDIVIDUALS 32. Taunting officials Those who use the "nonviolent action" to achieve social change benefit immensely from any over-reaction from whomever is targeted. A main goal of certain types of nonviolent action is to provoke a response while retaining the "high" ground. ------------------------------------------ I guess we don't own the words "NonViolent Action." I think that is why our site says, "NonViolent Action" as practiced recently by Gandhi & Martin Luther King. Caricatures, mocking, the finger, and taunting don't quite seem part of achieving change by demonstrating Faith, Love, and personal Sacrifice? But maybe they are more satisfying! http://www.AKidsRIght.Org/civil_back.htm (for more info). But the last paragraph stopped and made me think. Is our goal in this attempt to arrange a meeting with Senator Clinton also an opportunity to make her look like an idiot. If we do get a trial for a "Syracuse Five," what are they going to be caught saying on the Five O'Clock News? What would YOU want to say? "We're here because we really love our kids. It's a shame that Senator Clinton has been so unresponsive to us (and her staff has been so rude), that we have had to end up in jail. We wish she would care more about family issues ... and listen better to the people of America. We hope this will encourage her to finally act..." How does that sound? Not really bad is it? So, maybe we tried to take the moral "high" ground, but heck -- we deserve it! Do we? I keep having to think back to what we have said in the past about NonViolent Action, an opportunity for us to demonstrate our committment to our cause by demonstrating, Faith, Love, and Personal Sacrifice. Look in the mirror. How about trying this on for size: "We're here because we really love our kids. We know the Senator is a caring person and is concerned about children's issues. We know she is very busy and it's hard to give attention to every issue. We have made this sacrifice in hope that our actions will show the depth of our love for our children and the serious need there is for reform. She is a powerful member of Congress and we need to speak to her." and maybe add: "We're sorry it's taken us so long to finally demonstrate how strongly we feel about our kids -- even when we saw it happening in our own homes. It took us all a while to have the Faith to respond. We understand why it is taking her a while to respond..." ==================== Our Failings & Faith ==================== A lot of people write and tell me NonViolent Action doesn't always work (in the way we expect?). A few weeks ago that was brought home to me during one of my arrests. After about 28 times I'm getting pretty knowledgable about arrest procedures, I usually see the same officers and usually they mellow as they get to know me. Well, Officer X was going to be the exception. He slapped the hand cuffs on hard the first time around and made a point of pushing me in the right direction. The second time round he managed to give me a hard tap in the "balls" as he was frisking my legs. He would always look at me with disdain and would not start a conversation. Well, the third time was the charm. It was 95 and a sunny, humid day. He and his partner put me in the patrol car with the engine off and the windows rolled up. I sweated like a pig for 10-15 minutes while they talked outside. Now, I didn't say anything, but my thoughts were clear, "Why you stupid A## Holes!" On the way to the jail he called home and told someone he would be late off his shift to look after the kids. Then he asked me if I knew the hassle I was causing and that I was just a selfish human being. Now, I just said "no," but in my thoughts I added, "you stupid jerk!" We drove for a while, and he made some similar comments. I tried to change the topic by telling him he was lucky to have some kids to go home to. He then responded with, "Well, by that comment I know you don't care about anyone buy yourself. You protesters just don't care." I didn't say a thing, but my thoughts were, "buddy, why don't you just go F#ck yourself." By this time I thought, "this guy is a lost cause. All the NonViolent action on earth wouldn't get through to this blockhead." We got to the jail, his partner left, and he and I were alone waiting to be admitted. He then walks up to me and says,"I want to apologize for what happened on the way over here ... it's been long day and these guys in booking are so slow, I'm always late getting out of here... That is no excuse for me giving you a hard time." Man! My jaw just about hit the floor. All I did was nod my head and we got to talking about the force, the job, and retirement. He asked me if I could do my thing a little bit earlier in the day (I usually walk into the building around 2pm) so it wouldn't be near the end of the shift. I told him I had to take the bus and I tried to get some work done in the morning. But that I would try (and I will) -- next time will be closer to 1PM. He asked me about what I was doing and trying to accomplish. It was a regular talk. Did I apologize to him for my thoughts, no, it never even came to mind. I was just so shocked. If I would have gone "off" and said what I was thinking. There would have been an entirely different ending. One that would have confirmed my worst suspicions. Imagine that! It was a look in the mirror. ========== Be Perfect ========== Boy, you don't hear that too often. It's okay to have faults, problems. We're only human. Don't give yourself a 'complex.' I think about the words of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount, not just "Be Perfect", but "Be Perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect." Now, that is a tall order! No wonder I hear some people say we need a "New Religion" for our modern age -- can you really believe this "Be Perfect" stuff? I don't really have a lot of time now, its about 9pm and we have to get up at about 4:30 to catch the morning flight to see Dom -- one we don't want to miss.... But I want to just close with some thoughts I had this Sunday as I was praying in Church. I thought about Christ's parable of the Pharisee and the Sinner praying in the temple. The one thanking God for not being fault filled like the rest of men. The other simply saying, "Have mercy on me God, a sinner." I guess we're all suppose to sympathize with the little guy, but when I thought about some recent events, and how I had acted -- VERY, VERY far from Perfect. I could really climb into his sandles. That I too was simply asking for Mercy and Forgiveness, for falling so short of the mark. Tears came to my eyes. Will I ever again think "Go F#ck yourself!" to someone who doesn't quite get it -- I really don't think so. I really can't even imagine it now. I took a look in the mirror. Good night! John Murtari jmurtari@AKidsRight.Org ================================================================== To unsubscribe from this list at anytime, send email to Majordomo@kids-right.org with the following 1 line in the BODY of the message (Subject is ignored). unsubscribe members
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