Re: Waiting for us to change

"Funny but they didn't say that about other minorities who rioted."

Not really true. Many minorities of one sort or another have rioted, and the media abused them for it - even when the minorities had justice on their side.

There were several occasions when slaves in America tried to claim their freedom - and the results included the first gun control laws, and new laws to prevent slaves from learning how to read - among others. (Several of these attempts occurred around 1800 - whereas in the mid-1700s, on several occasions armed slaves were included in military expeditions - in South Carolina, no less.)

But it has happened more recently as well. The demonstrations of the Arab Spring may not have been all that different from previous demonstrations, except that media coverage has stressed the largely peaceful nature of them this time around. Perhaps that is more a result of other factors than the demonstrations themselves - perhaps other factors have pushed the media to pay attention to the peaceful majority rather than the extremist minority present at most demonstrations. Perhaps we should focus on the steps needed to prepare the public to accept us, so that when the time comes we will find supporters waiting for us.

So - will a time come when we need to demonstrate in the streets? Yes. Should that include rioting? Hopefully not. Will it be soon? I don't know.

A great deal of preparation must be done first - including the sorts of things that Marky has been doing. We must be careful not to play into the hands of our enemies, who would like to portray us as violent and out of control - and yet, neither should we be so insanely peaceful that our enemies can presume to harass us without consequence. It is a difficult balance, to demonstrate a willingness and ability to defend ourselves while simultaneously avoiding unnecessary violence - yet that is the balance we shall have to undertake.