So MUCH nonviolence in the News!

As my students do a great job developing their blogging skills, I'm falling behind in all the items in the news!

The huge anti-war marchs of the weekend may have been compromised by the online advocacy. Read Marc Fisher's wonderful piece and our changing ways of political action. As the week started, it wasn't all about arrests. In this piece by Paul Duggan, we see how protesters communicate with authorities and choose their strategies.

There was a magnificent concert, headlined by Miss Aretha herself, demanding R*E*S*P*E*C*T and raising money on September 18th to establish the MLK Memorial on the National Mall. The Washington Post had a piece on the nonviolent message of David Cronenberg's very violent Eastern Promises.

Yesterday, both the Senate and President Bush condemned Moveon.org's full page ad blasting General Petraeus as "General Betray us." Was the ad strategic? It seems to have backfired and now the organization is using it's scarce time and resources scrambling to defend its actions.

Yesterday was an especially busy day. The civil rights movement may have experienced a rebirth with a huge outpouring of support demanding fair treatment for the Jena 6, a movement largely built under the inspiration of a drive time radio personality. Over 100 students at the University of Wisconsin protested against Haliburton at their school's career fair. Around 1500 monks in Myanmar continued their month-long protests against the government. A religious symbols, their marches have brought fewer reprisals than other actions. To escalate their actions when the government missed a deadline to apologize, they will refuse to take alms from soldiers and other government officials: a very public act of shaming.

Today and every third Friday, United for Peace and Justice is sponsoring a Moratorium Campaign to end the Iraq war.

All these actions. Any proposals? Any solutions?