Think Progress
On July 4, Adam Kokesh hopes to lead 1,000 protesters armed with guns into Washington, D.C. to advocate for open carry. In Kokesh’s eyes, a crowd armed with guns compares to the nonviolent civil disobedience practiced by Mahatma Gandhi.
Kokesh answered the Washington Post through a series of text messages:
Suppose the D.C. police, as they have promised, block the marchers from crossing into Washington? How should they respond?Satyagraha, in Gandhi’s words, is “a way of life based on love and compassion.” Gandhi explained that “[i]n the application of Satyagraha I have discovered in the earliest stages that pursuit of truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one’s opponent but that he must be weaned from error by patience and sympathy.”
“With Satyagraha,” Kokesh, 31, texted The Washington Post. That is a term used by Mahatma Gandhi to describe his strategy of nonviolent resistance to British rule in India. [...]
Did his response of “satyagraha” mean violence is unacceptable?
“Only if absolutely necessary in defense of life or limb,” he wrote.
Compare Satyagraha to Kokesh’s event description on Facebook. Although Kokesh claims his march will “peacefully turn back” if confronted with “physical resistance,” he ominously warns the march will be violent if “the government chooses to make it violent.” He also proclaims that “[w]e will march with rifles loaded & slung across our backs to put the government on notice that we will not be intimidated & cower in submission to tyranny.”
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI think your suffering from the paradigm that anyone who carries a firearm must have violent intentions. I read the event description and didnt see the quote you cite. What I did see is some very specific alternative actions listed. Either they will march peacefully through DC if the way is open, or will demonstrate outside DC if the way is blocked. There's even a dress code. And instructions to peacefully submit if taken into custody.
Mr. Kokesh has supported a number of causes. After serving in Iraq as a marine, he was given a general discharge as a punishment for protesting the war in uniform. He has also worked for Code Pink.
Currently he is almost halfway to the goal he set for the march to occur. And if arrested, they should only get a slap on the wrist or perhaps a warning like David Gregory.
Did we feel compelled to allow the insubordinate rabble in Tienanmen Square to organize and fight as enemies of the State? The U.S. needs to implement a Chinese solution before it is decided that the domestic Government is incapable of putting down the insurrection, and international aid may be necessary to ensure the continued domestic and international stability.
ReplyDeleteRoll in the tanks.
Jadegold, go ahead and try. You talk a big game.
DeleteJadegold is irrelevant to the issue, as he has no means by which to order troops to quash the rebellion. I, however, am not Jadegold.
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