That was a very strange outpouring of venom against what I see as
a very reasonable protest. Why are you so scared of the response of the
"Non-Indian Public?" Some of the responses may be hostile, but think what
history would be like if every group seeking to set history--and therefore
the present--straight tried your path of least resistance? In the 1950s,
when Blacks said "we want civil rights," the "average Joe" said "what on
earth are you talking about?" Yet if hadn't been for the bus boycotts, the
lunch-counter sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the outright confrontations with
the establishments, legal rights wouldn't have come for many more years.
The same goes for the wonderful history of direct action, confrontation, and
hell-raising that exists behind EVERY MAJOR ADVANCE IN HISTORY for women,
labor, Blacks, all people. People might initially dismiss protests, but the
struggle never dies. Many people, like in the Vietnam war, overcame their
initial resistance to a just cause because a few daring individuals were
willing to put their bodies and lives on the line, and this willingness shook
undecided people up.
I admire AIM's spirit of resistance, and I stand with them. Quiet
"education campaigns" have their place. So does shaking people by the collar
to make a point. The way this world's going, I think we may need more of the
latter.
CK