We are living in a state of suspended fascism.

Try to protest as much as possible before the other shoe drops.

Don is Chair of the KPFK 90.7 Local Station Board

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Hey! Look! It's the Fruit Loop Troop!

We'll always be able to protest. Like voting it's far better for the establishment to give people the illusion of freedom or choice. In reality these big ANSWER rallys accomplish nothing but preaching to the choir. With all the major roads shut down by police before hand, and Police Sergants actually helping to lead the rally with ANSWER organizers, no mater how big the turn out, the rallys are always marginalised. We need new tactics if we're really going to try to stop Bush and company. These big block parties will never effect any change. If you need proof just ask yourself what the past 4 years of ANSWER street parties has acomplished. Did they stop the war? Did they stop military intervention in Haiti? We need actions that focus on army recruiters. We need to stop boats and trains carrying amunition headed for Iraq. We need to do something effective in the next 4 years and I feel that we'll have to do it ourselves because Answer will never call for or support any such actions.

I agree with you that we need to do more. In particular, we need to consolidate the anti-war / anti-exploitation protest sentiment into organizations whose purpose is to support local struggles and build a national coalition.

But the demonstrations are very helpful in letting people know that they are not alone in their resistance, and in maintaining the public right to protest. We just cannot get stuck in this mode.

The demonstrations controlled by ANSWER/LA-NLG serve no one. They simply inflate the ego of people like Ian and Jim. I have come to believe ANSWER/LA-NLG are in bed with the cops. Ian was seen nurmerous times last night chatting with Lt Durham from the LAPD.

Boy, that person who wrote this is a moron who obviously only seeks to divide the left. He or she is probably a provacateur anyway.

Some people just don't want any movement to be worth a damn. They'd rather have people run around doing nothing than moving forward with a working-class analysis.

'Let's all get arrested right now so we don't have a movement now or in the future'--how brilliant.

Hey everyone, I think I know who posted this--calling himself "ANSWER/LA-NLG are not the ANSWER," although I could be wrong.

He is either dejected and demoralized, or simply a paid police informant. Attempting to "black-jacket" well known activists in LA helps no one but the police themselves. This type of behavior is doucumented as a COINTELPRO tactic. Many people have spread the word about this guy's increasingly infamous attempts to disrupt demonstrations to suit his own (or his bosses' interests).

I hope this guy is just demoralized, but if he is a cop or on the payroll, then that's really too bad. Regardless, no one should pay a bit of attention to someone who does nothing but complain and sling mud while pretending to speak for a constituency.

Two or three people can't form a movement and stop the war. Only a movement of millions can. This guy doesn't want to be in those millions. Forget 'em.

ANSWER isn't as clean in all of this as people are led to believe. They work with their trained security people to keep any action that they haven't planned for stopped. They work with the police in getting any militant people arrested and have their own speakers from various groups connected to them, speaking at their events-so as to push their own agenda. Every ANSWER demo I've been to we have been pinned onto the street by rope they have the security hold, to keep people in or out of the protests (dividing citizens from protesters). They first came into existence to promote the agenda of the International Action Center (a front group for, I believe the WWP-workers world party[?]-or some authoritarian communist group looking to get their people in power). They have been attempting to lead the Anti-War movement and do what they can to get their own agenda in the press. Also, as I stated above, they work with the police to stifle any break away marches, civil dis., black blocs, or anything that they might not be able to control. When they negotiate with the police for marches, they plan for things so as to stop any of the forementioned tactics.

So yeah, I'm not saing boycott them, but be aware of what's up...

If you're @ and you come to an RCP event then that's what you get.
If you want to use it to meet up, then great, form a break way march and do your thing. But do not expect the RCP to be what it is not.

So maybe, local LA @s should start thinking about organizing their own events if they don't like what ANSWER does.

why is that when major media outlets lie its wrong but when indymedia lies its overlooked? there was no possible way there were 3,000 people at westwood last nite. i was there and thats a rediculous number......800 seems more realistic. oh yeah and ive just got to say how utterly disgusted i was at the scumbags cashing in on a movement. take your crappy shirts and bumper stickers to the mall and sell em with the rest of the mass produced thoughtless junk.

come on man I was there to and there were so meny people there it blew my mind and I dont think the numbers are wrong I
JUST THINK IN MY HUMBLE POINT OF VEIW THERE IS MORE GOING ON RIGHT NOW THEN BEING CONCERN ABOUT PEOPLE AT A PEACE PROTEST TRYING TO MAKE A LIVIING SELLING PEACE FLAGS AND T-SHIRTS, SHIT ITS BETTER THEN SELLING HUMMERS IN A MIDDLE OF A WAR.

I MORE CONCERN OF PEOPLE GOING TO WAR PROTEST AND ANTI-WAR WEB SITE WHO WORK FOR THE SAME PEOPLE WE PROTEST AGIAINST. NOT TO HELP BUT TO DO HARM AND KEEP TRACK OF PEOPLE THEY CONSIDER UN AMERICAN.....THE QUESTION WHY WERE YOU THERE?

Instead of repeating myself on this issue, please read what I had to say in my article about the parade.

http://la.indymedia.org/news/2005/01/121505.php

OH SO THE ONES WHO THINK AND ACT LIKE YOU ARE FOR REAL. AND THE ONES WHO DONT ARE POSSERS.


WE ALL MUST PROTEST YOUR WAY OR JUST GO HOME

THIS IS YOUR CONCEPT OF FREEDOM.

NO THANK YOU.....
FOCUS ON THE
ONES WHO DONT PROTEST AT ALL
///// I DONT CARE WHAT GROUP
YOU PROTEST FROM
AS LONG AS YOU
STAND .
AND ALLOW OTHERS TO BE WHO THEY WANT TO BE. FROM YOUR PICTURE IT SEEMS YOU DIDNT HAVE TO ASK ANSWERS PREMISSION TO LAY IN THE STREET YOU DID IT ANY WAY ...SO YOUR POINT IS NULL AND VOID.
CROSS.

the number of people at the protest "blew your mind"? thats a bit of an exageration dont you think? it was actually one of the smallest protests ive seen and it was pretty sad to see that more people didnt show up. dont get me wrong......im glad everyone showed up no matter what their individual politics are. i just think that we should be honest with ourselves since honesty is the reason for the split from mainstream news.

and to answer your question why was i there? like everyone else.......to put a face on disaproval.

What about dispersed mini demos in the hoods? You know, a side walk picket to the local media or bank? Aren't mass concentration tactics burnt out? The logistics of mass demonstrations are being attacked by state authority. Isn't it time to slip under the big fence?

In my country and in my time anyone seen colluding with the cops are considered enemies of the people and dealt with accordingly. i assure you i am working in the best interests of our people. the people deserve more the ANSWER can provide.

Ian said riot cops were on the streets to scare the protesters. Riot cops did show up at Veteran and Wilshire but they left after 10 minutes because they saw how cowed the people were under ANSWER/NLG's strongarm security. dont step out of line because ANSWER will have you arrested. dont try to diviate from the parade route just continue to be good little sheep.

The people deserve more and it's the people should decide what they want not ANSWER/NLG