1908 Maxwell (HC Series)

Swap Meet and Car Show held today at Bonanzaville, West Fargo, ND, U.S.A.

The incentive I had to tour this auto show was that as a youngster I knew the original owner of the 1908 Maxwell, above.

Also one of my uncles was an original owner of a 50s  Hudson, very similar to the 1956 model below.  

Feel free to add your own vintage autos in the comment section.

more below:

Effective Counter Attack-Part IV; Correcting Common Misconceptions About Nonviolent Action

For Part I see Effective Counter Attack; Consideration or Implosion?

For Part II see Effective Counter Attack-Part II; Pillars of Support and the role of Obedience

For Part III see Effective Counter Attack-Part III; Mechanisms and Methods of Nonviolent Struggle

Intro to Part IV

Why do I continue to promote nonviolent struggle?

I have sincere doubts as to the ability of our currently flawed political system to either inhibit or reverse the current totalitarian trend.

I doubt that our favorite politicians, even if elected,  can find the strength to  promote the will of the people without the "wind in the sails" that likely can only be provided by a national movement rooted in nonviolent struggle.

This monthly, and now lately, weekly/daily arguing/bickering over hypothetical scenarios that has prevailed at BoomanTribune I do believe is counter productive to increasing the strength of any sort of national movement. And without some sort of national movement, how do we blunt the authoritarian march?

Take one example: The suggestion that we ought to refuse to pay taxes.

In theory, possibly a wonderful idea. In all practicality, the action is likely to accomplish little except assuage an individual's guilt. (If that's your well- reasoned goal, well, then I wish you the very best, as I myself cannot afford financially or emotionally the hassles likely to ensue from that action.)

From a nonviolent struggle perspective on any action,  those members of past successful movements learned to ask at least these two questions;

1. Is the proposed action a part of national movement strategy that can be effectively communicated to a critical mass of people?

2. Does the proposed action have any likelihood of succeeding?

The proposal to "refuse to pay taxes"  would seem to fail on both.

Actions, proposed and taken that continually, fail do not build confidence in any movement's abilities. And thus do not strengthen that movement.

Past successful nonviolent activists such as Gandhi developed action plans that bolstered his movement's strength, not diminished it. His Salt March was an innovative and effective nonviolent action for that time.

So you feel that all the actions of past nonviolent movements will likely not  be effective in today's world.

That may or not be so. But I would suspect that we have individuals capable of coming up with some innovative action plans that are both likely to be accepted by a critical mass of activists, and also likely to succeed.

Do you not think that THIS type of  hypothetical brainstorming would be more productive than the recent hypothetical thrashing?

I would hope that the main topic of this diary Correcting Common Misconceptions About Nonviolent Action would increase  the level of awareness of both the viability and the presently untapped power inherent in pursuing nonviolent struggle.

more below;

Effective Counter Attack-Part III; Mechanisms and Methods of Nonviolent Struggle

For Part I see Effective Counter Attack; Consideration or Implosion?

For Part II see Effective Counter Attack-Part II; Pillars of Support and the role of Obedience

      So you're sitting there in front of the screen wondering whether or not you ought to get involved in this nonviolent struggle stuff, and if so, how?  

     Well, I can see where one might think it would be a hard decision to make, especially if all one is considering is pounding one's feet on the pavement in a street demonstration along with concerns as to what all that might entail.

    What I'd like for you to consider is this;

     I ask you, have you not already joined the nonviolent movement? Isn't your participation here a proof of that?

     Sure, I know there are numerous social aspects to this community, and it's a part of BT that I enjoy also. But that's not the sole reason I arrived here, nor the sole reason I stay. And I've never met a single poster here who has not expressed a vehement dislike for the policies of the current administration.

     Democracy movement activists need entertainment and a mutual support system too, well, we've got that "in house" I'd say. So besides the social aspects, what are we doing here?

    I think every last thing we do here at BoomanTribune is nonviolent struggle activity.

     Are we not writing, reading, collecting and disseminating news, and information.  Are we not using our free press rights while they are still available to us? Are we not behaving like true citizens of a democracy?

    I think one of the questions we ought to be asking ourselves is on what topic each of us as individuals will choose to participate.

      Down below the fold there's a link to a list of some 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action. It's obvious that not all 198 methods involve street demonstrations. Pick one, or several, and just do what you can. It's up to you what level of intensity you put into the effort.

     We need everyone's help, regardless of whether that contribution is entertainment, emotional support, information dissemination or being out on the streets creating a ruckus.

    Let's do it!

    Tools of the trade below the fold;

For Part I see Effective Counter Attack; Consideration or Implosion?--NDD

     The women and men of Boomantribune are calling for an effective counter attack.  I know of no better method of developing an effective counter attack than a method that would use the principles and links discussed below the fold of this diary.

     I would ask that we try to have some CONSIDERATION for each other as we post comments to this diary as well as all others on BoomanTribune.

    It is imperative that we keep our focus on the task at hand;

     Either we frog march'm out, or we change their point of view.

     While I remain engaged in party politics locally, it seems doubtful that our near total reliance on party politics is going to be productive.

     I see no guarantee that the momentum of this current administration will be derailed by focusing on political activism alone, regardless of whether we have wins or losses in '06, or '08.  

     Every day more news arrives that tends to convince me that we're several rungs up the ladder of fascism, rather than on the first couple of rungs.

     I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

       Never, have I seen such an intense level of disgust, both on blog and off, with our existing political leaders.

     So, "What in the hell else can we do?" you say.

     Well, we have yet to seriously consider coordinating a Martin Luther King/Gandhi/Lech Walensa type movement.

     And believe me, I'm certainly not so foolish as to imply that any particular tactic the aforementioned leaders used would necessarily be applicable to the difficulties we face today.

     But from a study of the material referenced below it seems fairly obvious that the weaknesses in governmental structure, which allowed their movements to succeed, are very similar today.

     And there's no doubt Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Lech Walensa were just as innovative in their day, as we will need to be  now, under the current threat to democracy.

     In fact we have advantages now that they didn't have, such as our ability to communicate and disseminate via internet, cell phones, podcasts, etc.  

     The movements of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Lech Walensa were able to encompass a wide variety of political persuasions.

     So there's no reason why everyone, from left of Democrats, immigrants, Democrats, center Democrats, DINOs, Independents, Libertarians, and possibly even some moderate Republicans can't participate in a plan to influencing the policies of this administration.

     We have much more power at our disposal than we are allowing ourselves to believe that we have. This past week's absolutely huge demonstrations in opposition to repressive immigration legislation have encouraged us all in that respect.

     And it would seem prudent to examine how it is that the Hispanic DJs of LA have an abundance of expertise in implementing nonviolent action.

     Comment by Militarytracy: After reading and digesting Effective Counter Attack; Consideration or Implosion? (Part I)

        It occurs to me that this is why Crawford worked.  Say what you will but before Crawford nobody spoke out public and openly questioning the Iraq war.....after Crawford we are free to question it here, there and everywhere. That is one step closer to ending it!  Let's face it too....the powers that be still do basically whatever they please right now......so why didn't they just arrest Sheehan at Crawford as they had threatened?  Sheehan had paid the ultimate price and had worked hard to digest what had happened to her and find a solution that was going to REALLY WORK.  She had embodied the principles you have above and applied them to Casey being killed in an illegal war in Iraq.  It wasn't that we needed a messiah in Crawford Texas.....but she had managed to get it together and she never raised her voice one single time.  The rest of the military families and soldiers were still so wounded that we stole and borrowed from her energy there.........a deeper knowing within us knew that the only real solution was going to come through behaving and doing and carrying ourselves as Cindy did and that meant complete nonviolent public civil disobedience and gently speaking and being the truth that we were as human beings.

        Some people say we need a third party. I wish we had a second one. Jim Hightower

        by Militarytracy on Wed Mar 8th, 2006 at 10:17:45 AM CST

     Comment by NLinStPaul - in Effective Counter Attack; Consideration or Implosion? (Part I)

     NDD, I read this this morning and have had moments all day when it came back to me. I like the fact that so many people are thinking about this. It reminds me of the kind of preparation MLK did with people to get them ready. What we're talking about is the same kind of movement - and we need to be ready.

The part of your diary I have been thinking about today is that our so-called leaders only have the power that the people permit. I really believe this. And have had two thoughts:

   1. The people we have GIVEN power to have convinced the American people that the only power we have in the political process is to vote. And now most of us are not even sure we have that. We have to challenge this!!

   2. This really explains why the "powers that be" had to stop Howard Dean. He really meant it when he said "You have the power" and it threatened the hell out of them. They knew it was true - and they didn't want us to figure that out.

Thats where my thoughts are for now. I'm really looking forward to more about this. I think we're on to something.

[snip]

You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one. John Lennon

by NLinStPaul on Wed Mar 8th, 2006 at 07:07:28 PM CST  

     Please give democracy a chance, continue below the fold;

Eagle Dream

This morning I had this dream. And yes, this comes from a real dream rather than being a short story that I've created.  It went something like this;

My memory of the dream starts with a baby eagle. I'm supposed to look after it. It clings to my hair as I hike along with a group of backpackers... seemed like six to eight people. Many days go by on the trail. The eagle is growing day by day.

One day a part of our group balks at continuing on the trail. (I think it was a safety issue.) But for whatever reason the splinter group refuses to go on, until some of those ahead realize we are missing. I hadn't made up my mind yet whether to stay or go on.

We who have stayed behind are being told that we have no choice, that we must go on.  The one who is speaking convinces us of the necessity of getting back on the trail. More days on the trail. The eagle is still growing, still hanging around me.

Until one day I realize the eagle is missing. How long has it been missing? It realize now it has left me for brief periods of time, but never for a day, or two days. I think it's been two days, so I reverse direction on the trail and go back to where I had been.

Approaching the area of two days back, I see this hawk sized bird breaking for a landing on my head.  He's coming straight at me from the front. The eagle is so much bigger now that the fright of the possibility of it landing on me shocks me awake.

End of Eagle Dream

I know people in my home community who had dreams prior to Kennedy/Dallas. And I recall that there were people nationally who had dreams prior to Dallas.

I have dreams, but I don't normally have dreams about eagles. So I'm curious. Anyone else having dreams that they feel are relevant to our current events and our reactions to them.

There is nothing below the fold, but our future, yet to be written.      

and the license plates of cars driven by people entering the clinic.

See Activist posts clinic visitors' pictures
Mike Nowatzki, The Forum

An anti-abortion activist who is banned from going within 150 feet of the Red River Women's Clinic in Fargo is now posting pictures on the Web of women entering the clinic.

[...]
Jennifer Ring, director of ACLU of the Dakotas, said she couldn't recall hearing of a similar Web site, but there have been numerous tactics used to identify clinic staff in other parts of the country. Those instances "can get very scary, very quickly," she said, because staff have been threatened and even killed in the past.

Ring said Thursday was the first time she'd seen the site, and she would consult with an attorney about its legality.

"My first instinct is as disgusting as it is and as dangerous as it is, it's probably legal," she said.

[...]

I have no clue how best to deal with this insanity that seems to increase exponentially week by week. Maybe someone can come up with an "innovative way" to contribute to the "education" of this loony?

     Consideration or Implosion? Pick one!    

     The women and men of Boomantribune are calling for an effective counter attack.  Well, I know of no better method of developing an effective counter attack than a method that would use the principles and links discussed below the fold of this diary.

     But before we get into that I'd like to make some preliminary comments;

     Progressive Implosion? Well, what the hell else would you call an opposition movement that seems to be collapsing in on itself?

     Think about it folks. Think about all the diaries and comments you've read over these past several weeks.

     Think about;

     The Disappeared bloggers, Long-time bloggers gone on sabbatical, Upset formerly-active bloggers lurking-only, Active bloggers commenting less frequently, and another 3000 members prefer "read only"... (no doubt many of them would have some wisdom to add if'n it wasn't for the blog-quicksands .)

    I ask you  WTF ever happened to CONSIDERATION?

    Tell me. Where did it go?

     Since it appears that we're headed into some very rough waters, in nearly all aspects of our lives, IMO we are going to have to start cutting each other some slack.

     So when the next huge divisive controversy hits, let's just try to have a little CONSIDERATION for each other.

     `Cause as our very own suskind said here the other day, Also I ask myself often, "Since when is your best not good enough?"  Since never.

     Well, we're all trying our best, aren't we?

     Why not keep our focus on the task at hand;

     Either we frog march'm out, or, if not, then we'd better be working on changing their point of view.

     While I remain engaged in party politics locally, it seems doubtful that our near total reliance on party politics is going to be productive.

     I see no guarantee that the momentum of this current administration will be derailed by focusing on political activism alone, regardless of whether we have wins or losses in '06, or '08.  

     Every day more news arrives that tends to convince me that we're several rungs up the ladder of fascism, rather than on the first couple of rungs. (Someone suggested a fascism-clock; I say, Yes, let's set one up, NOW.)

     I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.

       Never, have I seen such an intense level of disgust, both on blog and off, with our existing political leaders.

     The Alito campaign clarified for nearly everyone I know that we have a near total vacuum of leadership at the national level of the Democrat party.

     Originally, I thought the campaign to block Alito was a wonderful idea. But after such a tremendous expenditure of energy and emotion, what are we left with but a loss of confidence in our leadership and a loss of confidence in our own power to affect a change in what's left of our democracy.    

     It seems obvious that any movement will lose strength if it does not have some success once in a while. Why don't we work on developing a more viable plan, one that has possibilities of generating confidence-building results.

   So, "What in the hell else can we do?" you say.

     Well, we have yet to seriously consider coordinating a Martin Luther King/Gandhi/Lech Walensa  type movement.

     And believe me, I'm certainly not so foolish as to imply that any particular tactic the aforementioned leaders used would necessarily be applicable to the difficulties we face today.

     But from a study of the material referenced below it seems fairly obvious that the weaknesses in governmental structure, which allowed their movements to succeed, are very similar today.

     And there's no doubt Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Lech Walensa were just as innovative in their day, as we will need to be  now, under the current threat to democracy.

     In fact we have advantages now that they didn't have, such as our ability to communicate and disseminate via internet, cell phones, podcasts, etc.  

     The movements of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Lech Walensa were able to encompass a wide variety of political persuasions.

     So there's no reason why everyone, from left of Democrats, Democrats, center Democrats, DINOs, Independents, Libertarians, and possibly even some moderate Republicans can't participate in a plan to influencing the policies of this administration.

     We have much more power at our disposal than we are allowing ourselves to believe that we have.

     Please give democracy a chance, continue below the fold;

     Fargo, North Dakota  February 23, 2006

    Last night the "Friends of Kent Conrad" hosted a reception for Senator Kent Conrad at Stoker's, an intimate, ultra-hip wine and cordial bar located in the basement of the Hotel Donaldson

     Thanks to "Friends of Kent Conrad" for the four Pacificos, and the buffet of snacks. The reception was very informal. Probably about 30 people attended and anyone who wanted to could walk up and have a relatively private chat with the Senator. During my chat time, I visited with the Senator about a member of his family.

     Later, after his presentation, I asked the first question. "Is war with Iran inevitable." Sen Conrad gave a fairly long answer. He said he'd thought our focus on Iraq had been wrong from the beginning, (he voted against going to war), and that we should have been focused on Iran. He said he wasn't expecting much help on Iran from the French. [ha? ha?] But he felt that the Russians were making a significant contribution to resolving that situation. He ended by specifically saying that he did not think that war with Iran was inevitable.  

     Besides Senator Conrad we had a few other dignitaries at Stoker's;

     On the left, Ed Schultz, of The Ed Schultz Show and on the right,   Roger Johnson ,  ND Agriculture Commissioner, and the only Democrat currently holding an office in ND state government.

larger

     Ed Shultz asked Senator Conrad if he was going to invite Dick Cheney to ND for a pheasant hunt.  Much laughter! I think Sen. Conrad said, "Yeah, don't forget to duck!"

     On the voting machine issue he recommended that everyone vote absentee ballots.

     At the Radisson Hotel, Senator Conrad  spoke before a crowd of a couple hundred, a Prairie Progressives Town Hall Event. Here he did a power point presentation on Bush's FY 2007 Budget,  deficits, and debt. The numbers and the implications for the future are staggering. If you think social programs have taken a severe hit these past several years, you're going to be in for a surprise as it appears there will be numerous programs eliminated completely, or cut severely. We've just got to preserve that 41 Billion dollar tax cut for those make more than a million per year, right???

     Senator Conrad -"... there will be massive budget cuts...with the intention of shredding Social Security and Medicare... it's stunning what's been proposed.  
And he mentioned that he'd been called in for a private chat with President Bush, (no staff present), and that he'd discussed budget and finance issues with the president for 1.5 hrs. And at the end of the conversation Sen. Conrad said that he had concluded that Bush just didn't have a clue. He said it was just like Alfred E. Neuman, "What me worry?"
     Sen. Conrad's conclusion; Bush is short of horsepower.

     See more comments and links for that information below the fold:::

I thought Bootribbers might appreciate this diary of jimstaro's in which he includes the full text of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's essay Live Not By Lies which seems to me to resonate with current events here in the US. Let's see that our situation does not deteriorate to the conditions under which Solzhenitsyn lived. - NDD

[cross posted from European Tribune, with permission of author European Tribune; Live Not By Lies - by jimstaro]

Thu Feb 16th, 2006 at 05:31:01 PM CST
As you read this, think about the Author, many of us remember, think about the country he was from, many of us remember, think about What Is Happening Now Within Our Own Country as to Domestic and Foreign Policies quickly going the way of  Alexander Solzhenitsyn's Country!!
I could add a looooong list of that which is going on, that which has taken place, that which we suspect and slowly the proofs are brought to light.
But why, many of us already know, or suspect, and are fighting to bring sanity back from the abyss before it completely disappears along with our freedoms and rights!!

Following is the full text of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's essay ``Live Not By Lies.'' It is perhaps the last thing he wrote on his native soil [before the collapse of the Soviet Union] and circulated among Moscow's intellectuals [at that time]. The essay is dated Feb. 12, the day that secret police broke into his apartment and arrested him. The next day he was exiled to West Germany.

   IMO This is not just another Y2K, Swine Flu, government or media-crying-wolf-again situation.

   I might have actually believed that myself had I not previously read a chapter of The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Plague in History, by John M Barry. My own copy arrived recently, from Powell's and I'm about half way through it. (diary to come later)

   I would highly recommend reading of this book particularly if you are inclined to discount the possible severity of an avian pandemic. I sincerely believe that it is a necessity to educate ourselves on this issue.  

   As we have seen with our gov/FEMA response to Katrina, it is not likely we will be getting much help from that quarter. I think we will be on our own on this one and we ought to plan accordingly.

more:

Cross posted at European Tribune

This evening's theme: Path to Peace: Ethical Responsibilities in a Global Consumer

After hearing Kathy Kelly this Friday evening I have added her to my short list, well very short list, <10, of super-great speakers I've heard over a lifetime. Should you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend.

Disclosure:All of this from memory alone... it's not a verbatim transcript... any mistakes are mine.

Kathy Kelly, a co-coordinator with Voices in the Wilderness (VitW), spoke in Fargo, ND at Presentation Sisters Convent. Since 2003 Presentation Peace Studies has been a project of the sisters.

In 1988 Kathy Kelly  was sentenced to one year in prison for planting corn on nuclear missile silo sites. Kelly served nine months of the sentence in Lexington KY maximum security prison.

In the spring of 2004, she served three months at Pekin federal prison for crossing the line as part of an ongoing effort to close an army military combat training school at Fort Benning, GA.

This evening, Kathy Kelly started out by explaining "... nuns give no visible sign of a desire to accumulate personal wealth." She believes  Pacifism... has to do with living simply, with reverence... (for life)

The only other group of women living together without wealth as we enter 2006 is the concentration of women in US prisons. Currently one fourth of the world's prisoners are in US prisons.

While in prison, due to her bunk location Kathy overheard numerous phone calls from women in prison.

Most still care about their families. They keep trying to talk with family members at home but are not usually successful.

[... discussed supply needs of prisoners ]

82% of the women are in for non-violent crime, one fourth are sentenced to more than 8 years. The men's facility was designed for 800, it now has 1153, so the men are overcrowded. Their median sentence was 27 years.

If military might(as seen in the Iraq war) is right then why aren't we seeing a better life for our people. (The latest projected estimates of...) the cost of the Iraq war is 2 Trillion... who is working on preventing a crash landing...

[...discussed end of oil, use of solar, wind.]

I've been to Iraq 26 times. I was in _?__ city with the Iraq Peace Team when the 2003 war commenced. As local authorities left the city looters were working their way towards that part of the city. The US Marines arrived before the looters, which I was thankful for.

We (Peace Team members) brought water and dates to the troups. So we all had a picnic... I went to visit with a marine who was sitting on the top of his tank reading a book. I said, What are you reading? He replies, Heart of Darkness, for the thirteen time. [author Joseph Conrad]

The marines were curious, and said,"Tell us your side of the story." Many of the marines hoped to come back to Iraq to help with the reconstruction.

More after the fold;

Well, it looks like the Halliburton crew are not the only ones with their fingers in the till. So add another billion to the billions of dollars that have disappeared into this black hole. No wonder the situation continues to deteriorate.

See Independent

One billion dollars has been plundered from Iraq's defence ministry in one of the largest thefts in history, The Independent can reveal, leaving the country's army to fight a savage insurgency with museum-piece weapons.
The money, intended to train and equip an Iraqi army capable of bringing security to a country shattered by the US-led invasion and prolonged rebellion, was instead siphoned abroad in cash and has disappeared.

"It is possibly one of the largest thefts in history," Ali Allawi, Iraq's Finance Minister, told The Independent.

The purchases included scrapped Soviet-made helicopters, poorly made armored cars, cheap Egyptian knock-offs of MP5s, bullets as 3 times normal cost... etc.

Have we forgotten legacies and lessons of Martin Luther King's civil rights movement, Gandhi in India, Lech Walesa in Poland, Norwegian Resistance WWII, Argentina's Mothers and Grandmothers of the Disappeared,  and many others...

We don't have to reinvent the wheel here folks. Why not make use of 50 years of research on Strategic Nonviolent Conflict Strategy

198 METHODS OF NONVIOLENT PROTEST AND PERSUASION,Here for pdf

It's obvious that we can wait no longer for our political process to work.

I have no doubt in my mind that the strategies contained in the links below will return traditional democracy to our republic. Got doubts? See the end of this diary for links to some of history's well known nonviolent conflicts.

...the ruler can only rule with the consent of the cooperation of the people... since the people provide the ruler with the sources of his power, then the people can also withdraw their consent to be ruled by withholding the sources of the power they collectively provide to the regime... -Robert L. Helvey

more after the fold