In Between

   With all the war in the world, the political instability, and the thousands of people trying to get through to the millions by some means have been left with a choice. The choice is one that has to work. The choice lies in between peaceful protest and hostile take-over. Somewhere in the gray there is a way to move away from this horrible norm.
   If we could educate not only our kids but others' kids as well, we might take one step away from the starting block. I know first-hand how difficult it is to motivate a teenager, but at the same time I see mine and the Mrs. ways merge with, and emerge from her simply by our example. She reads because we read. She sits in the quiet and thinks because we do. She also sent 11,000 texts, used 1gb of data last month, and I could never get a number of hours spent on fb. She does this because of the access she has, and because she makes really good grades. She listens to my boring political philosophy with a glint of real interest. The problem is that I only have four kids. It is a problem because there aren't enough world changing intelectuals coming down the pike.
   I know a group of boys in their late twenties that couldn't start a riot between themselves when they run out of drugs. That's a problem. What about all the textbook republicans? What schools in this country are teaching kids this package of old bull shit? The Liberal Arts have turned conservative. That's a problem because as they age they will see that greed is at the center of their philosophy. A handful of these guys are winning elections too. More dupes in congress. Let them play; we have work to do.
   Sit-ins and putting duct tape over your mouth doesn't do much more than arouse  young journalists to passively observe, and possibly take a few pictures. It could turn into a Grateful Dead audience if the cops let it live that long. That hasn't worked very well.
   What is the next step? How about social media and the way we are all connected with the freedom to say whatever we want? Do facebook petitions ever work? Does the perfect status earn you stock in the company? Do you read every email? I don't think so. There are millions of people out there waiting for the right words from the right person. I hope that person makes you spit nails because they pointed out something that you hate about yourself. The pinnacle of social media is really the ability to generate cash through a "cause". Everyone that doesn't make money on facebook are wasting an opportunity. Scratching this off the list of ways to affect change; though it is a great platform to blast off from.
   The next option could be sabotage. If someone cuts off sections of the power grid and leaves a note behind with the name of whoever your target was, you either have to use perfect finesse or be willing to be incarcerated. It would be the same if you tinkered with the water supply, cut the communication lines at a handful of banks, throw bricks through church windows (don't do this to a double paned window), hit the emergency shut off valve at the gas station, be a wheelman for any of these activities, and the one I would like to do personally is to get in a low speed chase with a Wal Mart security cop. After a few laps, I would park my car perpendicular to the doors, in the middle of the cross walk. I would then hope to lead him on a foot chase. I know I could dip into the drainage ditch, and when he gave up, I would pop back up and run a couple laps around the parking lot, weaving through cars and knocking down carts to thwart his pursuit. When the sheriff gets there, I will jog around him until he tases me. Then I could get on the news and tell them why I did it, and what my real agenda is. I wouldn't ever get 15 minutes but it would be fun. Those tactics have been used before, and have eventually worked by volume. You have to be sneaky like Batman though, and everyone in your posse would too. Not much change there, just fun.
   Again we need people to pull off the next stunt. Emails and letters on the desk of every representative in your state could do some damage, but the volume would have to be overwhelming enough to at least raise a brow. If we bug them enough with what we want to represent us they would have no choice but to up their security detail or listen to the message we want him to convey in DC. I could probably get about six people to help with that. There would be no lives on the line; only jobs. 
   The only reasonable approach after all of the former have been exhausted would have to be taking up arms. I would think a violent protest in a city of 500,000 would take at least five hundred to one thousand armed men and women to create a shield for their spokesman. A gathering like that could turn out badly if tempers flared because the police were too aggressive, like they are in my city. Our police chief is making a mockery of the entire force through hiding documents that we should all have access to. I know there are Mobilians out there that would like to face him down. I can't support this type of activism because people would actually get hurt. Another dead end.
   Today, will most likely be the same as yesterday, and Joe Biden's talks with video game makers will probably wind up being an issue of Amendment 1. Hopefully they will not yield to the pressure of the gun controllers so we can still use our controllers to blow shit up -on the screen. Either way nothing will effectively be done, and in the mean time I will apply for a permit to store my kids' ps3 under the seat of my car. Somehow I will find a way to swerve every would-be activist in between the bullets and blanks of protest in the hopes of making a ripple that will reach beyond my yard. Happy Friday!