Saturday, January 24, 2009

Bottom Up Activism

Brainstorming, Code Pink style:

Riding to the National Press Club to see Mitch McConnell, working
on a simple messaging chant about the stimulus. NTodd talks too much,
then Medea boils it all down brilliantly. Thanks to Katy for filming.


Yeah, I talk too much. But hey, I'm an overcaffeinated activist.


ntodd

18 comments:

sanda said...

People who are deaf or hearing impaired need cc close captioning or transcript.

ntodd said...

Yeah, I'll get right on that soon as YouTube provides the function. But don't I gesture enough?

JimPreston said...

Hey, that's not fair!! I say things sometimes, but I was letting Todd do the talking just because he was only in town for a little while.
Who was the handsome driver anyway?

ntodd said...

Our driver was the strong, silent, stunningly handsome type...

sanda said...

Flippant? Boo.

sanda said...

PS Website deleted from favorites.

ntodd said...

Flippant? Boo.

Concern trolling? Boo.

uspatriot said...

look, this has nothing to do with whatever this video is about. i just want to say how disgusted i am with your group and your policies. that you have the gaul to stand up and blindly call the men and women that serve in uniform war criminals, murderers etc. is just mind boggling. I think that you should realize that you only have the freedom to express yourselves because of them and you should respect the sacrifices that they make for you. if you choose to take this down from your blog then you in fact are showing how hypocritical and bigoted you really are in denying an opinion contrary to your own. have a nice day, and thank a veteran for their service. Go out and meet one and you'll learn that they aren't bad people, and they really care about you. They are willing to go die for people who not only do not know them, but also, like you, harbor ill will to them. give these guys and gals a chance, and maybe you'll change the way you see the world. it isn't black and white. Everything the government does isn't bad. open your minds and be a little more receptive to conventional society.

ntodd said...

i just want to say how disgusted i am with your group and your policies. that you have the gaul to stand up and blindly call the men and women that serve in uniform war criminals, murderers etc.

Actually, we don't.

Everything the government does isn't bad.

Lemme guess: you're a Republican who tells us that taxation is theft, we shouldn't have universal healthcare, but we should trust the government to control a woman's womb and start wars.

open your minds and be a little more receptive to conventional society.

We've tried it your way. Didn't work. Open your mind to alternatives.

uspatriot said...

ntodd:

actually i'm a moderate that leans liberal. BIG SURPRISE huh?? I actually support higher taxes because our economy is a mess, i'm pro choice, but yes i do believe universal healthcare in a country of 300million is a mistake. And from i've seen, yes you do. Calling marines murderers and war criminals??? really??? btw, would you prefer that we didn't go into afghanistan??? A country that actually repressed women worse than most countries and cultures in the world? A country that funded and endorsed 9-11. We didn't start that war. And as far as Iraq, it was unfortunate, but hind sight is always in 20-20. You can't blame soldiers for that.

LaFajita said...

Uspatriot, my friend, as a former troop who works with Code Pink and Veterans for Peace, I hereby declare you a victim of marketing.
You are collateral damage in the American Empire's War on the Truth.

Militaries brutalize people. It's what they do. As much as I'd like to agree with what you say about people who choose the military, experience tells me that people join up for all sorts of reasons, not all of them noble. It may not be what you want to believe, but it is the reality.

Say what you will about Code Pink, they have harmed no one. They have kidnapped no one, they have tortured no one, and they have murdered no one. And they are not "Anti-American". They are anti-American Exceptionalism, Militarism, and Imperialism, and they are not thrilled with the military fetishists who stuffed this crap between your ears.

uspatriot said...

as a soldier myself i cant believe what i'm reading. do you have ANY pride? I'm not saying that all soldiers are angels, what we do is a dirty business as you know, but please. Holding up a sign that says "WE SUPPORT THE MURDER OF THE AMERICAN TROOPS" with big dumb ass smiles on your faces is disgusting and down right disrespectful. Look, do your little stunts about peace and what not. No one is saying peace is bad. Just lay off the troops. As far as experience, i have never met individuals who sacrifice as much as the men and women in the military.

As far as me being a casualty of "America's war on truth." Absolutely not. I think for myself and having lived over seas in the Middle East (in a civilian capacity), something that i'm sure 99% of code pink members have never done has shaped the way I feel about the United States of America, service, and sacrifice.

As far as marketing, maybe you should look at your own organization (not veterans for peace, at least they have some respect for our sacrifices). You have the worst press anyone could want. Have you ever you-tubed code pink? There's footage of your members who don't even know that Hawaii is a state of the Union. Who believe that WWII was an unjust war (umm hello, the bombing of Pearl Harbor? i mean come on... lay off the peyote.) They state that we should not have retaliated against Bin Laden and his sick followers. You must all be insane.

How about this. I propose that you all go live in Saudi Arabia or Iran (both of which repress womens rights, and basic human rights on a daily and legal basis) for a year. Then come back and tell me you don't appreciate the freedoms that we provide you.

LaFajita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LaFajita said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LaFajita said...

Pat, you are either a gullible cull who has fallen in with some seriously dishonest people, or you are deliberately peddling shock propaganda.

"WE SUPPORT THE yada yada...." banner is a photoshop. The debunking is available on this site under "New Lows in Code Pink Bashing", along with more fact-checking on the blog "Sadly, No!".

vendetta said...

Over a thousand US troops have died in Afganistan (3 since PBO assumed office only a couple of weeks ago.)and an estimated 30,000 civilians have died. Its time to extend our opposition to the war in Afganistan.

PBO has assumed warmonger status with his intention to escalate the Afgan war and it must stop.

Please code pink stand up against the Afgan war for the sake of the women and children there and for the sake of peace.

uspatriot said...

vendetta: look at your history. last time we left that region with a power vacuum the Taliban took over. We all saw how that worked out. Sharia (Islamic Law) took hold with a vengance and people were killed for things as trivial as shaving. Women were killed if raped or if their dress wasn't conservative enough. That and there was that little incident we call 9-11. Leaving Afghanistan is by no means a way to prevent violence. And as much as you might try/petition/have those embarassing pink rallies you will achieve nothing but bring negative attention to yourselves. Maybe, instead of protesting our actions in Afghanistan, you should protest the atrocities commited by Chinese Soldiers in Tibet, or maybe the actions of the Janjaweed in the Sudan.

vendetta said...

Us pat;
We as a nation do not have the will to acomplish what must be done in Afghanastan. We should learn our lesson from the Brits and the Soviets.

What real interest do we have in the region other than stopping AQ from having a base there?

The Soviets tried and failed to tame the warlords for over a decade and the Brits long ago suffered the same kind of defeat. The Brits eventally changed their appraoch and instead of occupation chose quick raids as a means of using the region as a buffer between the Russians and the British interests in India.

Our new warmonger in chief is obviously not bright enough to realize that we can not win in Afghanistan. Even if we did win AQ will find other places to set up shop as they have.

At least in Iraq there is some promise of victory and a better life for the citizens of Iraq, not so in Afghanistan.

As for Tibet the warmongers Sec of State made clear yesterday that human rights issues should not get in the way of Chino-American relations. That should serve as a warning to US citizens of the priorities of this administration. With that in mind BOs massive power grab during this first month in office should scare the crap out of us all.