Madison Institute Newsletter
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| In the fall of 1917 the US
government jailed American woman suffragists for protesting against their lack of
enfranchisement. They protested the fact that women had no say in government, and in
particular, had no say in whether or not the country went to war. They were astounded at
the harsh treatment they received at the hands of prison guards and were radicalized by
the knowledge that the American government was not about justice, fairness or democracy
during those early 20th century war years. Fast forward a century, and Americans who
protest against a lack of fairness, justice and democracy, are again oppressed by the
American government. Now, as then, ours is a government which is unmoved by appeals to the
rule of law or to the people’s right to a voice, particularly when that voice is
raised to protest violence, unjust war, and the establishing of empire and armies of
occupation. In 1917 there was racist prejudice against African-Americans, German and
Italian-Americans, and intolerance of leftist and feminist activists. And now the same
holds true with the omission of Germans and Italians. Just add a rabid anti-Muslim
prejudice, which is getting worse all the time. Our featured guest writer has been active
in the fight to combat injustice for years – a fight which has included
government-sponsored jailtime. His story is engrossing and must be read by anyone
concerned with preserving any modicum of the rule of law in this country. It is evident
that people concerned with the attainment of justice, whether women without
representation, or citizens who are losing representation, must continue to protest. At our last MIPP meeting, we also addressed issues of fairness and injustice. We showed two excellent films for our mini-Palestinian/Israeli film festival: “West Bank Story” and “Paradise Lost.” They provided an excellent contrast of ways of looking at Israeli-Palestinian relations. The first provoked much delighted laughter while making its point of the insanity of two peoples not able to live together, paralleling the lack of toleration portrayed in “West Side Story.” The other was a very serious, thoughtful portrayal of a young woman struggling to understand the resistance and accommodation of the Palestinian people as she studies her village, friends, and family all living under long-term Israeli occupation. We had some great Middle Eastern food and some equally great discussion. Another excellent meeting. |
Volume 2, Number 3
interrupted and we
were arrested for refusing to remove our bright orange Close Guantanamo T-shirts.
(Shouldn’t T-shirt slogans be protected speech?) Just outside the court building that
day many other peaceful demonstrators, some in orange jump suits, were also arrested.