Apparently, a number of articles and groups are discussing -- in one way or another -- violent revolution. See, for example, this essay.
Prominent impeachment activists argue that impeachment, rather than violent revolution, is the appropriate mechanism built into the Constitution to fight tyranny.
But some people respond that Congress won't impeach, and so that mechanism is not available. Specifically, House leader Pelosi has said "impeachment is off the table", Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers won't take action, and the Congress as a whole simply won't start impeachment proceedings. So they argue that with impeachment unavailable, the only option left is violence.
But I think that argument is missing a very important point.
Nixon said he didn't care what the American people thought. He said that -- no matter what the public did or said -- he was going to escalate the war in Vietnam. Nixon actually planned to drop a nuclear bomb on Vietnam. However, a well-known biographer says that he backed off when hundreds of thousands of people turned out in Washington, D.C. to protest an escalation of the war.
No matter how subservient Congress and the corporate media are, they could not ignore a peaceful sit-in surrounding Capitol Hill. A non-violent action of that size simply could not be ignored.
Therefore, why is anyone talking about violent revolution when we haven't tried mass peaceful actions demanding impeachment?
George WashingtonGeorge Washington is a pen name. I am using the pen name, with the approval of the publisher, because I have received death threats due to my 9/11 research and writing. I am using a pen name to protect myself and my family.
ICITIZENS HAVE RIGHT TO DEFEND RESULTS OF MAJORITY VOTE
I hope Congress would have to respond to one million people surrounding the Capitol holding signs demanding impeachment. But you know what happened atTien An Mien Square. Or on a smaller scale in the United States to the Bonus Marchers in the 1930's.
I am all for trying a mass mobilization around the Capitol. But you have to realize that when it comes to the point when the ruling class has the alternative of meeting the demonstraters demands and giving up their power and privileges or putting down the demonstaters and keeping their power and privileges, they will put down the demonstrers. Even if enough people organize to elect a new government and prevent that election from being stolen, the ruling class will refuse to recognize the election and try something like a military coup if letting that new government take office means they will lose their power and privileges.
Fortunately in that situation it will not be we but the ruling class who will be trying to overthrow the government with force and violence. And the majority of citizens will be merely exercising their right and duty to oppose those who are trying to overthrow the government with whatever means are necessary.
It will only expose people to infiltration and indictment if they try to organize an armed organization to prepare for that violent confrontation. But it is still legal for the majority of people to own guns and to learn how to use them. It is even legal for people to form gun clubs to practice target shooting. And there will be a large number of veterans who come from that majority of citizens who will have learned how to use those weapons that private citizens are not allowed to have through perfectly legal means. And although pacifists have made much of the large number of thugs from Blackwater and other companies that the government has at its disposal, there are still far more citizens in the military than there are hirelings of private companies like Blackwater.
