At some point in early January I reached the breaking point. I'd marched; I'd done street theater; I'd gotten out the vote; I'd written, phoned, faxed and emailed; I'd signed petitions, worn buttons, carried signs.
When it was becoming clear that Mr. Decider was going to flaunt his power and send 21,000 more troops to Iraq in direct opposition to an overwhelming majority of Congress, military experts, American voters and world opinion, it was time to raise the bar. And I wasn't alone.
A group of us, fresh from a Die-in in downtown Portland, Oregon, got together and hatched our first plan of nonviolent civil disobedience - to lock ourselves to the doors of the Federal Building the day after the Surge was announced.
We named ourselves the Surge Protection Brigade. Since many of us happen to be middle aged and elderly women, we're also known as the Seriously Pissed Off Grannies.
In the months since January, we've made numerous appearances at the local military recruitment center. We've blocked the doors of the center while sitting in rocking chairs; we had a bike rally in front of the center - a No Blood for Oil action; and a Blood and Roses action on Good Friday when we spread faux blood on the sidewalk and walls, laid flowers on the ground and stood in silent vigil.
There have been 25 arrests (some repeat offenders). So far our court appearances have resulted in community service (feeding the homeless, the elderly, that sort of thing). Worth the price of admission.
On May Day we co-opted the local newspaper and inserted over 1,000 Special Peace Editions into newspapers in many paper boxes - The Oregonian wasn't going to tell the true stories of depleted uranium, recruiter lies and Iraqi deaths, so we took it on.
We have plans for the annual Portland Rose Festival, which traditionally includes a heavy presence of naval battleships.
We're willing to be arrested because we think we need to do more than just march in the streets. We're deadly serious about what we're doing - but we also manage to have a LOT of fun. Some of us think our actions are keeping us sane. We frequently collaborate with Code Pink, Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, AFSC and lots of other peace and justice groups.
(We did a mock arrest of Karl Rove at a Republican fundraiser where the Brain/TurdBlossom himself was speaking.)
What kinds of creative actions are you and/or your groups doing? Let's share some ideas.
surgeprotection@riseup.net