i'm fed up with the Answer Coalition and their kissing up to the cops at all times. i don't know a lot about int'l ANSWER in other places but the local group is just sickening.

the difference between them and most of the protesters is that the local ANSWER organizers have CONTEMPT for the vast majority of protesters. Almost all their behavior at protests just reeks and oozes and drips with control freaking. does nobody else notice this?!

their anxiety about being in control of everything has them wildly conradicting themselves: DON'T MARCH AWAY FROM CNN!! OKAY LET'S ALL MARCH AWAY FROM CNN - FOLLOW US!! DON'T STOP AT THE INTERSECTION!! KEEP MOVING DOWN TO HOLLYWOOD AND VINE!! ARE YOU GOING TO GO AWAY?? NO!!!! OKAY EVERYBODY GO HOME AND COME TO OUR NEXT EVENT!!

WHAT?!! YOU DON'T WANT TO GO HOME??!! YOU WANT TO KEEP PROTESTING?! COME ON PEOPLE - WE ALREADY DID THE BIGGEST ACT OF DISSENT EVER IN THE UNIVERSE - I MEAN, LET'S NOT GET GREEDY. LET'S ALL GIVE OURSELVES A ROUND OF APPLAUSE AND THEN GO HOME ALREADY!! GET OUT OF THE STREET IN FIVE MINUTES!! WE WILL STAY IN THE STREET TO KEEP TELLING EVERYONE ELSE TO GET OUT OF THE STREET!! etc. etc. etc.

i can't stand it anymore - but i know mass protest is still important. i don't know what to do. i like the way the RCP conducted itself at these protests. they seem to be "leading by following". i know the RCP has a history of authoritarianism and that bothers me, but it's good to see all these young people who seem to be thinking a lot more seriously than the older ANSWER people.

i swear all that those ANSWER people are doing recently is spreading the plague of self-hatred and disrespect. they need to start believing in the MANY. that's what democracy MEANS - "Rule by the MANY". and it works. when the MANY are allowed to organize themselves, whole societies can transform themselves rapidly.

and to all those who say that ANSWER must be doing something right because our movement is very large - - yes, ANSWER deserves credit for their constant work and energy but anyobdy who wants to give them all, or even most of the credit for the size of our anti-war movement is wrong. to give ANSWER credit for the size of the anti-war movement is not just strange - it is disrespectful to the millions of people who have thought through the issues. the great mass of people have used thier good senses to see that this war is blatantly aggressive and wrong. when ANSWER takes credit for these millions of thinking people ANSWER only betrays the desperate contempt they feel for people. in this frenzied way ANSWER struggles to maintain control - - a control only we can give them.