Thanks, Sign Reader.  I missed your post wherein you mentioned MIC, but I have been rather highly attuned to the concept from the time that I first learned about President Eisenhower's (largely unheeded) warning to the nation.  It might interest you to know that many of us Americans are in fact quite aware of the issue and that there is a recently published and excellent book on the topic, written by an American academician (Boston University) and military man (West Point, Viet-Nam), Dr. Andrew Bacevich.  I have read it and strongly encourage others to do so.  It puts responsibility for much of the mess we (as a nation) are in right where it belongs: not on AIPAC, not on George W. Bush (although he is in a sense complicit), but squarely upon the laps of the American people themselves, which includes me.  Find reviews of the book here:  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195173384/002-3225494-0916 830?v=glance&n=283155

_________________________________

Duende,

You are quoted below.

� but from here in Southern Spain, my best option is to be a cyber activist.

To that, I said "I understand."  I mean I understand about cyber activism being your best option.  Sometimes it is also mine.  I hope that you keep exercising that option because I like your posts and your activism!

Do you mean we are as likely to be succesfull as the foreign fighters who joined the Spanish civil war?

No.  I was really just thinking of Hemmingway and of his times and was drawing an admittedly indistinct parallel between that time and ours.  There was no particular point to the statement. 
 

Could it just be you think any initiative is a waste of time, or bound to fail? Please, just say so

No, I think neither.  I apologize if I have seemed overly pessimistic.

Over on The Pond Patty has also made comments which add absolutely nothing to the idea of an umbrella pressure group. Angel has also written that she feels Cassandra and I are not willing to listen to their comments. That's because we've had enough of comments which only seem to poke holes (which we already know are there) in this idea.

I, for my part, made an attempt to add something to the idea of an umbrella pressure group by quoting excerpts from the great umbrellist Arundhati Roy and by introducing, among other possible groups, her World Social Forum as one of possibly many reference points.  As for my jokes about the US Congress and the effectiveness of letter-writing, there is (as I see it) truth behind my humor and hyperbole. 

I don't see any point in discussing what we all know: i.e the strength of AIPAC, the dead drudge of writing letters to representatives, the power of military/corporate greed etc. etc.

Ok.  Agreed.  Let's not discuss it (at least not here).  I was just responding, perhaps with too much levity, and was trying to express my sense of frustration at being unable to actually effect change from my side, here in the States.  It is true that I don't have much confidence in the existing and institutional mechanisms for change such as the deliberative bodies (UN) and various parliaments, but that's another topic.
 

We just want to pressurise as many NGOs and peace orgs into uniting their voices/actions and raise a 'critical mass'. If we have to, we'll do it wihout anybody else's help, but it would be nice to have a few people encourage the idea, even if they are too disheartened to actually do anything concrete.

In that case, please consider yourself encouraged and know that I am not too disheartened to do anything concrete (provided it's legal).  Unfortunately for my poor self, my 30 minutes at this public library Internet terminal are about to expire.  I'll talk to you later.

Serv

�If I were in the States, I would be out pounding the streets ��

All that got me was (were?) a couple of bloody fists.

Brother, I know, these obese dollar loving flag worshipping poor Americans. If they could think even for 33 seconds one day the world won't be such killing fileds.

Or is it that the poor duffers are just ruled and controlled by AIPAC and not by the congress?

Anyway, poor people like these don't survive for very long. We don't need to quote anything from history as they think it just started on September 11.

Whisper wrote: My apologies for dragging 14th July to this day. I was in very low reception spots for a whole while. It was almost like hitting the jackpot if we could get 9.6 kbps for a whole 7 minutes. I had some strong unreasons to know that Angela�s Plan will work from the day she presented it. We have gone a whole circle trying to list reasons why it shouldn�t work. But, thanks to the US and her sidekicks, today, the possibility of thorough global backing for this plan stands a good hundred fold stronger than when it was conceived. We all know, militarism works only because it functions Full Time. Corporate interests sponsor our death and destruction and promote it through their �free� media. Peace has been conducted, mostly, as a hobby or, a best, in part time space. Angela�s Plan will work if we structure a full time executive body, linked with full time bureaux in the US and other parts of the world. I had discussions with one of Mahatir Mohammed�s reps while I was visiting Karachi a few weeks ago. He is keen to invest his time and energy at the global level since he has become free from his 22 years run as Prime Minister of Malaysia. I was urged to visit Malaysia for meeting him, but I chose to keep this offer on hold till we were a properly constituted group. I have had feed back from friends in Africa and the US. It seems that Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter, both, will be interested in Peoples� cause. I feel the Spanish government will support and even host any move at this level. Writers, poets, actors and a whole range of thinking feeling people, in the sub-continent and the Mid East, are waiting for any such initiative. We could muster almost 15th Feb 2003 like support in the prevalent climate. I suggest we constitute a Foundation and register it in some neutral country. Each one of us should subscribe to it �        underwriting whatever time and financial support we can afford �        As its Founder Members. Each Member will be issued a Global Peace Passport. We will work as Peace Ambassadors San Frontieres Each one of will train and groom 9 Peace Affiliates �        with a straight philosophy �        and an even simpler script (just a One-Day programme) Affiliate is assigned to an Affinity � Co-ordinates his Street. An Affiliate trains 9 Affiliates - is promoted as Cadet - placed with a Company � responsible for his Area Cadet is promoted Guide in due process - placed with a Group � controls his District. Guide is trained for: �        Group co-ordination and admin �        Promoted Citizen with proper endorsements. Citizen reports to the Council              -              with Zone responsibility. This is a Full Time position. Grows as Chieftain              - belongs to the Chamber -         Province responsibility Baron  - sits on the board � Executes National level of functions. Elders  - Form the Elite � Policy and Planning level. Nobles � form the Nucleus � Appeals & Strategy control   This structure ensures our Affiliates scope of growth and makes a Full Time organisation possible. We will work in our locations with agreed aims and objectives. We will win. The time could never be more right.

Bismillah,

Salaams Pid'rem,

Strong unreasons?

Baroness maybe?  I have to tell you that I never wanted to be a princess, baroness or a noble.  Affiliate sounds cool.  Team member.  Council member. 

I created a little club at college and murdered the standing regime-like names.  It was fun.  We had no president or vice-president et cetera.  Just team members with different levels of time to contribute.  Things like Active Council members. 

Salaamu Alaykum

Dukhtar'em,

Time flys. I was just keyin in a message to Servetus and 27 minutes just slipped by. It's strange how I have come to treat this place as familiy. i have missed each one of you in all these strange journeys.

(Are you listening, Servetus?)

I don't like designations of any sort at all. We know their reality + I love Equality, I find it almost like a dream. But, people who wish to join us are moved by packages. They respond to what they have come to be on a scale. We have reduced our lives in silly measures.

Nothing matters to you and me other than the smile errupting on a child's face. I have never found anything that gives me a bigger pleasure than that.

But these things matter to the people we will be dealing with; people who can make Angela's Plan a success and secure my grandchildrens' future in what we could say is, today, high risk Britain.