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On the Eve of the Historic RNC Protest

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Message R.A. Lewis
On the Eve of the Historic RNC Protest

This article is for those who may not be aware of the likely intensity of the imminent protest in St. Paul, MN. The protest will likely involve a lot of Gandhian militancy with the police handling such activities with a violently & brutal heavy hand. There are also calls for physical resistance in self-defense (i.e. streetfighting) to deal with the police state. Whether or not you agree with such tactics, people have had their lives destroyed by the system (which continues it's brutal policies of war, imprisonment, and environmental destruction) so they should not be condemned and forsaken for stiking back. The police should show discipline and restraint with even the angriest protesters but they inevitably brutalize even the most passive.

September 1st, 2008 will likely go down in history as one of the most important protests in American history, rivaling the Boston Tea Party, the 1968 DNC protest, and the WTO protest in Seattle. If this protest does not prove to be of that significance, the oligarchic corporate fascists will continue unimpeded with their policies of destruction. If it's successful however, they may never have a gathering of fascists like this again.

Already the police have raided a key convergence space and arrested several activists so that they would not be able to attend the protest. This preemptive action only reveals the state's fear -- but it will not be enough to derail the protest which is expected to have tens-of-thousands of participants. These protesters will have the support of the masses around the world -- if not the support of FOX News viewers.

Rather than simply finger-wagging and holding signs (while people die around the world because of American policies), many will be attempting to blockade the routes leading to the Xcel Energy Center so that the delegates cannot convene to celebrate and promote the war. This will include include locked-down sit-ins across key intersections which will be supported by roving masses of people holding the streets (passively, unless they need to defend themselves). This will effectively be a small-scale general strike on Labor Day. On the second day of the protest more of the same is expected when a large convoy of truckers slowly move their big rigs through the city.

Any excessively exuberant behavior on the part of the protesters must be seen in contrast with the daily violence of the system (and it's police forces around the world). You are begged to recognize who your real enemies are and to not condemn those who are fighting back in self-defense and in defense of us all. The mainstream corporate media will demonize the protesters and justify the actions of the police under every circumstance. You are asked to recognize and condemn this corporate propaganda. Do not let them marginalize a growing resistance movement which is in solidarity with the poor and the victims of war around the world.

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Please check out my blog or my OpEdNews user page for a more in-depth look at this protest. The articles found there link to various sites offering protest information.

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Ray Louis is an aging, burnt-out, radical activist. He is of the opinion that most people have no idea how harsh and brutal the government is because they have never really done anything to resist or oppose it. While he doesn't at all engage in the (more...)
 
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