[SystemSafety] Group W bench

Mike Ellims michael.ellims at tesco.net
Mon Aug 26 23:40:02 CEST 2013


We need a like button on the list...
Born after 1960 (just).
I had the disk... (sad I know).

And, "if you are a law-abiding citizen ... You have nothing to fear" - until
they change the law.


Cheers.

-----Original Message-----
From: systemsafety-bounces at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de
[mailto:systemsafety-bounces at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de] On Behalf Of
Martyn Thomas
Sent: 26 August 2013 15:28
To: systemsafety at lists.techfak.uni-bielefeld.de
Subject: [SystemSafety] Group W bench

Great comment, Les.

For those (probably born after 1960 ) who didn't recognise the reference to
the Group W bench, here's the best way to spend 16 minutes and 60 seconds
learning more about non-violent resistance ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m57gzA2JCcM

Martyn



On 26/08/2013 13:40, Les Chambers wrote:

...
> And the soldiers who flogged the peasants were, at one time peasants
themselves, co-opted into the Army via conscription. And they were all good
men. And the craftsmen who fashioned the flogging rods they were good men
too. And the doctor was a good man. And the men who made the bullets and the
rifles used for the following executions, and the men who formed the firing
squad - they were good men all. And the crew of the Apache helicopter who
hosed down a Baghdad street with machine gun fire killing 11 unarmed men and
seriously wounding three children, laughing and joking as they did it; they
probably weren't bad men either. But the soldier who blew the whistle on
them is a bad man, apparently - destined for a jail sentence. And the
thousands of software developers who wrote the code that spies on the
innocent communications of millions of innocent citizens are definitely not
bad people. But the man who blew the whistle on that stunt is a bad man
currently on the run. 
> So what can you do? I'm with Tolstoy who preached nonviolent resistance.
So when you front up to the immigration guy at airport X just keep smiling
and hope you don't end up on the group W bench (as I have on more than one
occasion). After all, the immigration guy is a good man.
> And always remember when you hear that phrase "if you are a law-abiding
citizen ... You have nothing to fear" laugh as loud as you can and as often
as you can. Ridicule is the most violent form of resistance.
> Cheers
> Les


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