Activism isn't a new idea :-) --
Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness POSITIVELY by uniting our affections, the latter NEGATIVELY by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one; for when we suffer, or are exposed to the same miseries BY A GOVERNMENT, which we might expect in a country WITHOUT GOVERNMENT, our calamity is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the means by which we suffer. Paine, Thomas - Common Sense On Thu, Jul 12, 2012 at 5:58 AM, Charles Haynes <[email protected]> wrote: > Coming from some experience in the gay rights struggle in the 80s and 90s, I > think multiple simultaneous approaches are important. The seminal (ahem) > event of the gay rights strugge was Stonewall - a violent riot in protest > against continuing police harassment. However violent protests alone could > not have gotten us to the point where a sitting US president expressed > publically his support for gay marriage. > > We need direct action, political organisation, legal action, and > theoreticians. It can be important for the political arm to officially > disavow the actions of the direct action group, but don't fool yourself into > thinking we can succeed without one or the other. > > -- Charles >
