Monday, October 24, 2011

South

Nation of Change reports on how the Occupy Movement is heating up down south, especially in Georgia, along with some its ups and downs.  Interesting to this blogger, also because that is where the movement to abolish the death penalty is rebirthing with the Troy Davis case. 

The Atlanta mayor is handling things a lot better than Boston's Menino.  Still, I have to wonder about these mayors and their remarks on Civil Disobedience.  Do they understand what civil disobedience is? 

For while Mayor Menino drops jaws stating that he will not "tolerate civil disobedience" (causing scores of Americans to picture the intolerance at Selma), Mayor Reed says, "civil disobedience is an appropriate form of expression, provided it is peaceful, non-violent, and lawful [my emphasis]."

I don't want to knock Mayor Reed too much, since he just granted Occupy Atlanta a second extension to stay in Robert W. Woodruff Park for three more weeks.  However, just as America is proud of its accomplishments founded on civil disobedience, and thanks to leadership like Dr. King's, civil disobedience, while peaceful and non-violent - by its very nature is not lawful. 

A link here to the essay by Henry David Thoreau that started it all - and originally titled, "Resistance To Civil Government."  Henry David Thoreau peacefully, but very deliberately, broke the law and went to jail, advocating that others should, as well.

Courtesy of Wikipedia
1861 Photograph of Henry David Thoreau


I see, at the Occupy Atanta website, an event and demonstration is well underway at the time of this posting with a march, hip hop performers, civil rights leader Joe Beasley speaking, and an appearance by a close friend of the late Troy Davis.

Civil disobedience is an appropriate form of expression, provided that it is peaceful, non-violent and lawful,”he said in a statement.
Civil disobedience is an appropriate form of expression, provided that it is peaceful, non-violent and lawful,”he said in a statement.
Civil disobedience is an appropriate form of expression, provided that it is peaceful, non-violent and lawful,”he said in a statement.

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