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    Mark L. Hineline
Archive of shorter writing by Mark L. Hineline

Updated 11 July 2003

A pragmatist's guide to protesting the war       (Posted 11 April)

Henry David Thoreau spent a night in jail and wrote about it in his essay, "Civil Disobedience." Few people recall why Thoreau was in jail. It was because he had refused to pay a poll tax that supported the war against Mexico. Thoreau opposed the Mexican war, fearing that it would expand the spread of Southern slavery.

He was prepared to stay in jail a long time. But someone paid the tax ---- it is not known who ---- and Thoreau was freed. That would have been that, were it not for the essay.

Events have a way of eclipsing convictions, but eclipses are events of short duration. The sun vanishes, then reappears. Convictions last, while events fade from memory.

As I write this, the initial battles in Iraq have been won and I have only just gotten around to deciding how I intend to protest. No matter. The Bush administration is susceptible to hubris, as a child to chickenpox. There will be renewed occasions for objection. Here is a pragmatist's guide to protest : seven actions to take in opposition to the war in Iraq.

… Wear a flag pin on your lapel, blouse or work shirt. If someone asks why you are doing it, tell them you are taking the flag back from those for whom it is a symbol of military power and atavistic nationalism, in favor of national ideals such as real political freedom and justice for all.

… When you see someone else wearing a flag pin, walk up and ask whether their pin signifies that they oppose the war or support it? Subvert the appropriated meaning of the flag by depriving it of univocal significance.

… Go to an anti-war rally. But instead of taking part in it, identify six to 10 protesters and suggest that you all repair to a nearby cafe or bar to talk about how to organize for the 2004 primaries and general elections. This will be time better spent, and sooner or later the administration will learn that they have much to worry about when demonstration counts are low.

… If you feel compelled to do so, show your support for the troops by refusing to beg for a tax cut.

… Write to your congressional representatives. Let them know that you intend to support them if they oppose the war and that you will oppose them vigorously if they support it. Do this regardless of their position or their voting record. Deal in specifics: Specify the actions you intend to take. Even if it is merely voting, that is a lot.

… Value discourse appropriately. Do not ever simply kibitz on the subject of the war unless the discussion shows the potential to educate someone or provide someone with information or insight they might not have. Focus on the question, "What do we do about it?" Shift the conversation in the direction of political organizing, political discipline and voter participation. Or talk about sports.

… Talk about something else. Even if the real cause of the war was not a wag-the-dog strategy by the Bush administration ---- and there is more than enough evidence that the seeds for this action were sown long before the administration's need for public distraction ---- the disengagement from matters of grave consequence has been its primary effect. We, as much as the Iraqi military, have been the psychological victims of shock and awe. Shake it off and refocus on what matters.

Mark L. Hineline

Note: Ordinarily, essays that appear here will be appearing for the first time anywhere. "A pragmatist's guide to protesting the war" is an exception to that rule; it got caught up in events and appeared in the North County Times before it got here. Therefore, it benefits from the deft editing of that paper's editorial page editor, Bob Kahn.

The launch of a website (4 April 2003)

This begins with a minor epiphany. A week ago we wrote an essay for the North County Times (located in Escondido, California) on the "barrage" of information flowing from cable news and the internet about the war in Iraq. Writing "on deadline" (in newsroom-speak) we produced 1444 words between 5:00 am and quarter to noon. After submitting the essay to our editor, pacing the kitchen floor while he read it, and responding to his comments, we were done in.

We later confessed fatigue to a seasoned journalist, who happens to be our better half, and we wondered rhetorically how her reporters produce two and even three stories a day.

"It takes practice," she counseled.

That's how the penny dropped, and it is the proximate cause of this website. Practice is its own justification, but practice takes its comfort from necessity.

Johann Sebastian Bach produced a vast catalog of organ work because, needing something new to play each Sunday, he had to. We are not comparing ourself to Bach, but his life and work speak forcefully to the font of productivity and a lesson in practice: work to deadline.

Thus: new "shorter writing" will appear on this site every week. We will refresh the page on Monday mornings, beginning 14 April. Will we continue to use the editorial "we" in future writings?

No.

We promise.

In future weeks, the site will showcase short essays on "a sense of place;" on architecture, the crafts, and civil society; historical writing we like; sounds; field science and field scientists; environmental politics; geography and cartography; and learning.

How short? Fewer that 1000 words, closer to 500 when we can manage it.

It will take about a month to set up all the links and to fill this space with what will customarily be four short essays, a commentary, and a phenological note.

We -- I -- hope to invest the site with value beyond its initial reason for being, to provide a source of lively writing on topics of compelling interest. And I hope you will return periodically.

In the meantime, please do check out one or more of the longer pieces at the link labeled "Longer writing."