A New Form of Protest

I was thinking it might be interesting, as an alternate form of protest, to send George Bush a bunch of anti-war novels. Stuff like Johnny Got His Gun and others, asking Bush to read them and think about what his actions over the past eight years have done. How he's destroyed families, ruined lives, and directly caused the murders of thousands of innocent people. I'm not sure, however, that he would actually read any of the books we were to send him, or even if they'd get to him. I've heard he's got a college education, but from the way he speaks and acts, I'm tempted to question that, so I wonder if he even possesses the intellectual capacity to understand what such books are trying to say. Anyway, if you were to send a collection of anti-war novels to president Bush, what would you include in the box?

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder
By: Vincent Buglios

you know...i just got home from working 14 hours...and may just be tired and in a bad mood...but....

is the Green Dragon really the best group for a 'spirited' political statement?
might that not be better in, say, a political group.

'cause i would hate to give my opinion, which let us say differs, and get tossed out out of here. :-)

differing opinion is what makes the world go round caite :)

on of my most loved friends is a very very right wing republican who loves george.

We insult each other and laugh our butts off... I personally do not have to agree with someone to like them.

14 hours is way too long to work, ya know.....I have done it.

oh, i think you and i have been on that same side of that 'differing opinion' discussion recently mckait. certainly i agree.

but...
you know what they say about friends not discussing religion or politics?
it is just my suggestion that there is a place, like those mentioned political groups here on LT, to discuss politics and helping me stay out of trouble.

just my opinion...feel free to ignore....carry on.

and yes, 14 (usually 12) hours is a long time. but i only work 7 days ever two weeks, or 3 1/2 day a week.

There are very interesting groups in LibraryThing for political discussions such as this one. One group I like to read and contribute to is Pro and Con. Also, there is a group called Outside that is intended to be like stepping outside the pub to have those spirited conversations which can be great fun between friends, but may, occasionally become tedious for the rest of the pub.

Well, for my two-pennies' worth, two fiction war books that brought home the effects of conflict were The Sorrow of War and Redundancy of Courage and if I had to add a non-Fiction in the mix, Dispatches really brought home the effects of conflict even on the journalists who covered it and for whom it became the 'norm' for a long while.

I reckon the question posed was more book-related than politics related no matter how it was couched. I've had some of the most stimulating discussions over politics and religion in pubs (something about the cheese and beer mix!). The way I see it, if you aren't interested in chipping in, that's what the red 'x' for ignore is for!

Edited for typo

hmmm you could be right caite... not always easy to pull that off if not everyone agrees. too bad that~

eta sp.

I agree with maggie1944. Pro and Con or Outside is a much more appropriate place for this discussion.

I concur, and I will gladly join in there

msg 8, klarusu, its not that we haven't all had great discussions in pubs, it is that the Green Dragon has a long standing tradition to not have those discussions here on line. LibraryThing is a very big place and many of us jump around from group to group and thread to thread for all kinds of great times, including passionate political disagreements, agreements, and fact flinging. If not Pro and Con, or Outside, there is Liberal and Conservative groups too.

Please take no offense, it is just that we jealously guard our light hearted and fun, noncontroversial, place.

maggie, most certainly no offense ;)

If there was no forum except the Green Dragon, that would be one thing. But since there are plenty of forums here dedicated specifically to political or religious discussion, I'd certainly prefer that we talk there. I've seen too many times when something like this spirals out of control, I'd rather keep things fun.

That doesn't mean no serious discussions, we have plenty of those. I personally prefer we keep controversial, polarizing topics that can flare out of control to the forums where people go looking for that.

*trips over dead horse*

thanks, mckait, best prat fall all week

I needed that~

* takes a bow...trips over own feet*

sigh

Yeesh. I give a hypothetical situation and ask for book recommendations and I get flamed for starting a political debate? If people are really that offended, I'll take it outside, I just thought we coudl have a discussion about books w/o getting into an argument. Guess not.

Oh, mckait, you always know how to make me laugh. ;)

I liked the idea in the OP, but hear that some of you feel this is not the appropriate arena for this discussion. I copied the OP, and put it in Pro and Con.

i see a difference of opinion...but certainly no argument and non intended.

which is sort of my point.

i mean, we all need a place for a beer and some CHEESE! gosh, i love cheese......

#18 - Nahhh, these aren't flames, just suggestions. Flames are what we're trying to prevent, LOL!!! No hard feelings were meant, and it didn't sound like there was any harsh or personal criticisms thrown around, certainly none were intended.

I'm all for deep, meaningful discussion, but I'm yet to see this particular topic NOT end up turning into a flame war. I understand Pro & Con has flame-retardent walls...

I don't think the person was trying to start a political debate. I got it to be a type of snarky thing to do and those who want to participate can and those who do not, don't have to.

And maybe he/she felt safe to do that here where they knew the members. And I'd like some cheese please.

#22 Groo - You might want to put up some of those flame-retardent walls if you keep serving up batches of PGGB! :)

I do have a definate opinions on many things, but I tend to bow out of those discussions here. RL is stressful enough for me; I come into the pub to relax.

#21 caitemaire - Cheese is a great idea right now!

*gone off in desperate search for cheese*

here is a small bit to get us started!

oh, yummy

Thanks, caitemarie!

*passes slices of cheese and crackers to everyone*

Now, what were we talking about? I seem to have forgotten. :)

Don't talk with your mouth full!

cheese makes everything better.
a fact!

*filling some pints with Guinness* but it needs some washing down, don't you think?

~dismay~

I missed the Controversy and Wiffle.

Drat.

Nothing like some good old C & W.

Oh well.

Cheese please! I would particularly like some Harvarti.

*waits hopefully*

Here you go, Severn, and a beverage of choice. Would it be a PGGB?

lots of those PGGBs around tonight....

cheers!

~meek~

Just an OJ please...

Anything else and I'll melt into an unpleasant pile of Ex-Severnness...

War and Peace
The Red Badge of Courage
Catch-22
All Quiet on the Western Front
Slaughterhouse-Five
Johnny Got His Gun

edited to add:

GPO's Federal Budget

Feel free to move this post if there's a new location for this discussion; I'll be here with my cheese and tea if anyone wants to flame me (heat up the tea and melt the cheese, go ahead!).