Breaking the machine

Stan Goff suggests:

A friend recently asked rhetorically:

What if instead of DC we took the actions to Northern Virginia? If the peace movement understood the centrality of NoVa, protests would be planned for Reston, Arlington, and Herndon instead of the Mall. In NoVa, protests would really be a threat. My adventure in the techie world of military retirees and defense contractors has been enlightening. No wonder the bulk of the war budget is being spent here in the DC metro area; it is not necessary to be in Iraq to do the analysis, or build databases and models. The anti-war movement punts it by focusing on symbolic targets rather than actually interfering with the war. A weekend protest in Arlington would disrupt operations, increase logistical issues, and create security concerns for at least a week or two. A convergence with a week of small protests, teach-ins, and outreach to local groups and constituencies leading to a big march, connecting the global to the local would be productive. The "Big March" syndrome (BM) prioritizes Congress, not the powers behind the throne. . . . A 20-30K demo is meaningless on the mall. Building a movement here would help to put pressure on the institutions of militarism, directly on the circuits of power.

That's my two cents, too. Do the demo, but make sure it inaugurates a period where we build locally, and interfere with the war. This is the exercise of real, not merely symbolic, power. And it can be used to overcome the impasse that continually drives people back into the arms of the Democratic Party.