Permission Be Damned

AMEN!

The time is long past for real CD!

So, there is no time like the present.

William Rivers Pitt | Permission Be Damned:

Because I was unable to attend the anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC, last week, I made sure to watch the broadcast of it on C-SPAN. It was, from what I could see through the camera's eye, almost exactly like every other protest against this Iraq occupation that has taken place in the capital since October of 2002. It was loud and colorful, festooned with famous faces and eloquent voices, a showcase for the hundreds of thousands of souls who stand against this terrible conflict.

As the speakers made their statements, a friend and I wrote back and forth about the protest itself. My friend was irked that the protest itself was happening on a weekend, before an empty Capitol Building, and was not something that slowed or disrupted the business of this government. 'Why not snarl up DC on a weekday and get some real news coverage?' she wrote. 'Since when did civil disobedience care about permits?'

Her words, 'civil disobedience,' brought me up short.

This isn't civil disobedience,' I replied. 'This is a very polite, permission-granted protest. It is the essence of civil obedience. Don't get me wrong; I'm all for public protests. But to call this 'civil disobedience' is an insult to those who have actually put their asses on the line in real disobedience.