I posted Joe Romm asking for issues related advice since I expect to be the first person to serve time for a civil disobedience protesting about global warming. He suggested I weigh in here.

I was arrested with 42 others on 4/20/09 at the protest in Charlotte, NC against the building of the Cliffside Coal plant.

I post now urging activists to at least consider Gandhian technique in civil disobedience. It is not for everyone, but Gandhi ALWAYS pleaded guilty, feeling jail time was a good spiritual experience.

American practitioners of nonviolent civil disobedience generally take a different tack. They plead not guilty, want their day in court, putting a greater priority on mainstream media publicity. Even those who commit felonies generally seek mercy from the court.

Gandhi never sought mercy.

While I’ve never met anyone who regularly practices civil disobedience who wasn’t an admirable person, I believe Gandhi goes further than just eschewing hatred. Gandhi actually was concerned with the spiritual experience of his adversaries.

Nearly all activists primarily are guilty of grandstanding, the act of increasing the distance between themselves and their adversaries by appealing solely to one’s supporters. Gandhi was different. He felt suffering was an important element in touching the hearts of one’s adversaries.

I have MANY friends who disagree with my position on global warming. I want their descendants to survive and live happy lives as much as anyone. We need to do more than win at policy making. We need to reach out and dialogue with our adversaries. People need to think twice before they buy a gasguzzler.

I expect to serve a short period for my CD in NC. The courts don’t like to fill their jails with non-fearsome people. I expect a refusal to pay court cost will be sufficient to generate a sentence.

I gave this talk in Dr King’s home town of Atlanta at the US Social Forum in June of 2007 entitled, “Nonviolent resistance in the US can be practiced with greater strength”
http://video.google.com/ videoplay?docid=-3388009813098407884

A transcript will be produced soon.

I’m eager to correspond with anyone on this matter. 443-682-8725
davidslesinger@yahoo.com

I am active on other matters where followers of this blog might disagree. I don’t require or expect you good people to necessarily engage me on those issues.

1. individuals have to influence the democratic process;
2. individuals have to be much more politically active;
3. we simply have to change enough elected officials to get the job done.

Let your Rep know you expect him/her to work to strengthen ACES, to pass ACES, to strengthen US climate policy overall, to abolish the destruction of lives and livelihoods for fossil fuel profits for special interests, and to make this a top priority.

http://www.1sky.org/aces-house-action

In “An Inconvenient Truth,” Gore pointed out that all that’s missing is the political will. We can let fossil fuel special interests generate political (ill)will, or people–individuals–can follow Hansen’s advice and act as citizens to “influence the democratic process.” (And then remind friends and family, too.)

http://www.mark-bowen.com/book_cs.html

Hansen: “do whatever you can do”

Many thanks to James Hansen, Daryl Hannah, Michael Brune and the others that joined in this protest. At the slow rate of progress that both the American and Canadian governments are making on addressing climate change, protects like this look to possibly be the only way of effecting substantial action.

It looks like Jim Hansen is offering to participate in a public discussion today, but not tomorrow night as Blankenship is proposing. From the AP this afternoon:

Massey Energy Calls Protest Pointless (1:05 p.m.)

Posted: June 24, 2009 01:06 PM

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Virginia-based coal producer Massey Energy’s chief executive is calling the latest arrests of protesters at one of the company’s operations pointless.

Don Blankenship said Wednesday the arrests of actress Daryl Hannah, NASA scientist James Hansen and 29 others a day earlier do nothing to further the debate about coal mining. Blankenship says he’d rather debate Hansen and has accepted an offer from West Virginia Media to air a debate Thursday.

Hansen, however, has offered to participate in a public discussion Wednesday, but not an adversarial debate.

Hansen, Hannah and others were cited for impeding traffic and obstructing an officer after they blocked a road near a Massey processing plant in southern West Virginia. Their complaints centered on mountaintop removal, which involves blasting away ridgetops.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)