TO THE EDITOR
tor back East a few years ago? Do you still
believe eco and pro-life arsonists belong in
the same cell?
I just wish nobody had to come up with
any “last resort” solution leading to violence
and arson, and we all have our wish list. For
some, it’s about getting richer, for others, it’s
just demanding respect for this awesome
planet.
Thanks again for your feedback — I love
Eugene for this reason: We can still agree to
disagree.
Alby Thoumsin
Springfield
STOPPING TRAINS
Regarding the “Purity Test” letter (12/28)
by Steve Bouton: I’m not sure how Bouton
got a copy of my life history, but it must have
been an abridged version. Steve says, “When
Vip’s crew gets together and stops a military
supply train, wake me up.” Well, it was a long
time ago: While Anti-Authoritarians
Anonymous were busy putting their despair-
inducing posters on the telephone poles of
Eugene in the early 1980s, a bunch of us fol-
lowed up our federal trials for stopping busi-
ness as usual at the Trident nuclear sub base
by organizing what came to be called the
“Tracks Campaign.”
Norman Solomon and I nabbed the front
line on the tracks in Portland at the first of
several mass actions that stopped the so-
called “White Train,” which carried dozens
of nuke warheads from Texas to the still
abominably lethal Trident subs. We stood our
ground over and over until they hauled our
asses away. I’m told that a few cops quit the
force after that day; something about what we
did was persuasive.
It would be crass, macho and completely
beside the point to get into a “Whose arrest
record is longer?” contest; don’t wanna go
there. Activist résumés shouldn’t be an issue.
We’ve all walked our talk to varying degrees.
Like Steve, I dig Gandhi’s militancy. I
prefer the term “uncompromising forceful-
ness,” though. (Why borrow jargon from the
war machine?) The science of satyagraha
can be chosen from all the forceful options
available, and the purpose of my original let-
ter was to once again point out that if you
choose any kind of violent means, you’re
only gonna reap more violence. If that’s what
you’re after, fine — it ain’t what I’m after.
Nonviolence or satyagraha requires quite a
bit more attention and self-sacrifice, but it ul-
timately just works better … if it’s a better
world you want.
I am sorry if I came off like I was dissing
anybody. (And apologies also to Chris Calef,
for singling out his words in my original let-
ter.) Some of those incarcerated are my
friends too.
On a social level, Steve and I are friendly.
He’s a fun guy and I like him. We just proba-
bly shouldn’t try to build a movement to-
gether.
Vip Short
Eugene
EXCUSES FOR INACTION
The international traps we continue to dig
and fall into are becoming deeper and deeper.
In fact, there are no longer any easy methods
of escape for us.
“Bring the troops home” is merely a nice-
sounding, simple-minded slogan. We will
need to go much further than that. With a
comprehensive awareness, we may be able to
avert the catastrophes looming before us in
2007.
India’s nuclear weapons are facing
Pakistan’s nukes. The U.S. supplies both
countries with weapons and technology. The
Taliban are retaking Afghanistan. There is a
civil war in Iraq. Lebanon is on the brink of
civil war. Saudi Arabia supports the Sunnis in
Iraq; Iran supports the Shiites; and Russia
supports Iran. Hard-line Israeli leaders are
determined to crush the Palestinians, and
they continue to pressure the U.S. to assist
them in aggression against Syria and Iran.
Meanwhile in America, the leaders of
both major political parties are clueless about
how to stop the bloodshed and prevent a full-
blown war that will cascade throughout the
region. For our president and Congress, there
apparently is no turning back. More troops
and more weapons are on the drawing boards
for 2007.
But should we place the entire blame on
our government? After all, we sustain its ar-
rogance and stupidity by our own actions. For
example, do we want our gasoline coming
from the bountiful oil reserves of this foreign
region, or would we feel better extracting our
toxic fuel by way of oil rigs competing for
space off the Oregon coast? The answer is es-
sentially meaningless. To make this a better
world, we need to go beyond this question,
and all other questions.
In 2007, we must focus on ambitious, in-
novative shifts in our thinking. We can begin
by effecting vital changes, and not merely
cosmetic ones, within our local communities.
There’s never a shortage of good ideas, only
excuses and a lack of willpower to put them
into practice.
Robert Simms
Corvallis
THE FLIPPER PICKER
The way Bush (the bastard) will decide
what to do with Iraq is: He will flip a coin
and then pick which side he likes better.
Jean Butler
Eugene
JANUARY 11, 2007 5