(no subject)

[nibot]

Tobin:

I want to say how pissed off I am that after spending almost 30 hours in the custody of the police that Willie Brown so warmly commends below, I come home to find your criticisms, channeled through this asinine and petty politician's statement. I assume that since you've taken this so much to heart, your views are largely similar to Willie Brown's. You're entitled to your opinion, but I don't particularly want them in my inbox when I just got home from a scene that I don't think you're particularly well informed on; were you there? Were you arrested? Do you have first-hand knowledge of how the police were behaving towards disobedient citizens? Do you know anything about the imperial aspect of San Francisco, which we were attacking and which Willie Brown says doesn't exist? I'm not going to let this response lapse into one of those living room rhetoric discussions on whether or not the house mailing list should be a forum for free speech, or your right to dissent, etc. Since you've appreciated Brown's speech so much, I'll just say, like Willie, you don't have to remain silent, but have a little sensitivity in expressing your criticisms. We are your housemates and I am hurt and angered by your lack of support on a very basic, emotional level, if not an ideological one.

Sincerely,
Livi

P.S. Stevie and Jen agree with me.

That's in response to me posting these comments by mayor Willie Brown, prefaced with "I think this should be taken to heart."

Comments

helloooo First Amendment...

[odd-dog.livejournal.com]

I'm against the war, and I'm not a fan of Willie Brown by any stretch of the imagination, but man, that note you got fucking pisses ME off. It's sort of a given that if you do civil disobedience, you'll get arrested... one could even say that being arrested is kind of the point.

Furthermore, I think it's bullshit to be hurt by someone not ideologically supporting you. In my eyes, that sort of takes back the whole bit about "You're entitled to your opinion." Just because you live with people doesn't mean you should have to think the same way that they do... how fascist is that?! I pride myself on being able to get along with friends and family who have slightly to vastly differing political ideologies, and I don't think we're ever going to get anywhere as a nation or a global community without the process of argument/compromise... and the anti-war movement is never going to go anywhere if it doesn't make room for people with slightly varied views. Remember all those leftists (myself included) who bitched that dissent is crucial to citizenship? Well, they should make good on that.

Sadly, I'm being reminded, as I read over that note, why I got so disenchanted with (a) political activism and (b) the queer community by the time I graduated from Berkeley. I'm still a bisexual pacifist, but I reserve the right to think for myself.