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Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998
To: •••@••.•••
From: David Lewit <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Re: request for comment on Bear River workshop
Cc: •••@••.•••
Dear Richard:
I like what I've seen from Jan Slakov and you regarding the Nova Scotia
workshop (Citizens for a Democratic Renaissance). In general, it differs
from Alliance gatherings principally in the emphasis on community. From the
start, the Alliance was dominated by the personality of Ronnie and was
therefore rather formalistic. Business meetings and declarations were
characteristic. Renaissance, on the other hand, seems to proceed more
organically, with chat-room protocol as a model. What's missing from both
is theatrics and humor, and spirituality (though Jan brings some
objectively, and Phil Wheaton, but actually spirituality has to come
subjectively from spirit and dedication to the cause and one's fellow
beings...
You say "building a movement must come first." That's true in the larger
sense. But we must act on our principles as we go along with
movement-building. People see what we're doing and are attracted to the
movement thereby. AfD is doing this with legislative work while educating
on MAI. ... Stages are not steps in a line;
they are more like apogees in a spiral.
---<snip>---
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Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1998
To: •••@••.•••
From: Mark Douglas Whitaker <•••@••.•••>
Subject: Bear River
>I really appreciated rkm's comments about how activists discount one
>another & play the internal political game. If everyone in CDR can avoid &
>discourage this tendency, that alone will be a big service to the
>"movement". Of course, along with the great tolerance this entails, it also
>begs the creation of boundaries and defined limits to that tolerance.
>
>Enough for now!
>
>David Cameron
>
>EarthSea
>Box 95 Riverport
>NS Canada BOJ 2WO
What about a rotational forum for action which maintains a long term
pressure, which is public instead of internet sequestered? Something which
uses this division as part of the political process, instead of a hurdle?
I'll send a short excerpt from an essay on grass roots strategies
which I recently submitted to a group in Rome...
Just contact me by e-mail.
Regards,
Mark Whitaker
University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1998
To: •••@••.•••
Subject: Re: Re: movement divisiveness (was: `Bear River comments')
Richard,
I very much respect your efforts to keep talking to mr. X. It is not vital to
bring our critics around to agreement, but it is vital to keep trying to
communicate to them. Critics are those who care enough to stay inside the ring
of discourse- sometimes only because they are lonely nuts, but more often
because they are trying to resolve internal disagreements in their own minds
and make good use others to move their own process along.
A thinking, engaged person sensitively and passionately against what you
are doing is like having a free consultant double checking your work as you go
along.
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Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998
To: •••@••.•••
From: Bill Ellis <•••@••.•••>
Subject: re: request for comment on Bear River workshop
A community will evolve only when
the people control their means of economy.
--Bill Ellis
Bill Ellis
TRANET
URL: http://www.nonviolence.org/tranet/
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Create a sane and livable world
in vibrant democratic societies.
Bring global corporate power under control.
CITIZENS FOR A DEMOCRATIC RENAISSANCE
mailto:•••@••.•••
http://cyberjournal.org
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