Are there any DU'ers in the Dallas Fort Worth area?

[anarchy1999]

I know that there are and I just want to know why not one single one of you have shown up in the six weeks that we have been holding a weekly protest in front of Halliburton offices?

I'd just like to understand why?

on edit:

It's no wonder the Republicans win every time, is it?

[elfwitch]

1. I have a job.

I am the only wage earner in my home. My job keeps me busy for nine sold hours a day. I never leave for lunch. There are some days I don't even get up to go to the bathroom.

When I weigh my paycheck against a protest... Job wins every time.

Sorry.

[anarchy1999]

2. They've got you right where they want you, right? AND you never leave

early on a Friday or take a day off, right? I understand.

[mrgorth]

4. Hey

back off. Dude gave you his reason. He didn't even have to reply. You're right to be mad but don't take it out on him.

[anarchy1999]

8. I'm not mad and I'm not angry! I'm sorry for that impression, I'm just

Frustrated with all the Dallas Fort Worth DU'ers that can't find the time. Until we find the time there will be no change.

[elfwitch]

7. They do have me right where they want me...

But I unlike a lot of poor unfortunate souls have a job. I work a lot of hours at a job I normally get a lot of satisfaction from.

I do not get to leave early and I rarely take a day off. I have on any given day, two days worth of work to get done. I work at a very small company and if I am gone, my work doesn't get done.

So no, I cannot afford to go to a protest no matter how worthy the cause is.

[anarchy1999]

10. I'm so sorry for where you are. That is what is wrong. We have been

taken away from being participants in our government. We are too busy, we can't leave work, we can't take a day off. We can't attend City Council meetings because we can't leave work. We are the people, without us we have no democracy. This has been carefully crafted. We have to fight back. I did it last year, I stood up to my boss and said I am taking the day off over this war. Guess what? He let me do it. It also changed him forever.

[elfwitch]

11. And that is great for you...

but the small company I work at, I am the only one who does what I do. If I'm out for a few hours I get a day behind. And my place of work is really reasonable about most stuff. But my workload would make me have to come n on weekends if I don't get my stuff done during the week. Also, my husband goes to school at night. He takes care of my son all day. I am on duty 24 hours a day. If I'm not at work, I am at home backing him up so he can finish school and we can move the hell out of Dallas.

You can be as righteously indignant as you like, but keeping my job in the here and now is more important than anything. I am the only wage earner in my home. If I don't work, my family is homeless and foodless. It will not always be this way. Until my husband can get done with school, we will be a one income home with a three year old's welfare to consider.

And on another note: I sincerely do not believe that all the protests in the world will stop Halliburton. You and 10,000 people could be in front of their doors 24/7 and they will still be a bunch of evil motherfuckers. They are soulless and evil. Not amount of shouting on their doorstep is going to change that. Ten million people protested the war. What did that get? The pResident doesn't listen to "focus groups".

I try to save my protest for areas where I really think it will do some good. I protest with my hard earned wages. I protest by writing my representatives (all Republican, thanks Dallas!). I protest by telling people the truth about things when they have been misinformed.

I don't know what you do for a living. I don't know if you have a family. But I cannot risk either to go annoy Halliburton for a couple of hours once or twice a week.

[anarchy1999]

12. Go read some Howard Zinn. If you have the time and get over it.

Until we all get on the streets nothing is going to get better. Don't you understand? I have a family. I don't enjoy what I do. Protesting isn't fun!!!!

I'm doing it for you and your family, your kids and mine. Think about it.

[elfwitch]

14. You can do that protest for me all you want...

Like I said, no amount of shouting or signs or whatever is going to put a dent in Halliburton. They don't CARE!!!!

You could set yourself on fire in their lobby and it wouldn't change a thing. Protest can be healthy. It can change things. My mother was a hippie for crying out loud. I know what a few motivated people can accomplish.

But you'd have as much luck changing those evil bastard's ways as you would convincing a Klan member to marry a Black Jew. Ain't gonna happen.

They are evil. They will continue to be evil. Nothing you will do will stop that. The only way they will be stopped is if by some grace from God, they are unequivocally caught with irrefutable evidence that they gleefully put babies on spikes to be fed to rabid dogs for sport, amusement, and gambling purposes.

Some evil cannot be destroyed.

[anarchy1999]

16. The people need to start to care. You have the voice, you are paying for

Halliburton. Let me repeat, you and your husband, your job, you are paying for Halliburton. Do you understand that part of the equation?

There is nothing you can do, just vote. Do you honestly think your vote is going to count? Check out Bev Harris and Black Box Voting.

How many people should we sign up to vote when the computer in Dallas County is going to eat your vote.

[elfwitch]

19. You are working under one seriously misguided impression here.

I am not a newbie. I am not apathetic. I've got a f-ing Masters in Political Communications and Behavior and a Bachelors in Sociology. I am painfully aware of what is going on in this city, this state, this country, and this world.

I'm fairly certain that my vote in Dallas county won't count. It will either be eaten by the machines or rendered completely useless by a city full of neo-con sympathizing, Southern Baptist, Bush ass kissing dickheads that drive SUVs and think that Dallas is the greatest city on Earth.

I've paid for a lot of things with my tax dollars that I don't agree with. I don't agree with helmet laws. i don't agree with seatbelt laws. i don't agree with marijuana laws. I don't agree with laws that require you to have insurance to drive your car. I don't agree with a lot of laws. Those laws were bought and paid for by big corporations. Unless you are living in a fantasy world, you might have noticed that the corporations have taken over the world. You could measure their interest in your little protests in micro-give-a-shits.

We are living in a Feudalistic society where the Corporations are running everything and we peasants at the bottom are just trying to stay alive.

I care that Halliburton is one of the big evil corporations. I care that they are getting away with murder or worse. But me sweating in the summer heat and breathing what passes for air here in Dallas will only accomplish one thing. I'll be stinky and I'll have to double my allergy medications, which I can't really afford to buy in the first place.

You've got yourself quite the high horse there.

[anarchy1999]

24. You win dear. Can't argue with you and I am not suffering under any

misguided impressions. Stay at home, we will be on the streets for you on your behalf. And I am not on a high horse. I hate being on the street. I'd much rather be having a cocktail and a steak at Ruth Chris. Or on the way out of town for the weekend!

[bobbieinok]

30. I politely wish to say your enemy is Halliburton, etc NOT elfwitch

She explained her situation several times and her point of view.

In her exact position, you might not make the decisions she has. But it's her hard situation and her decision.

Someone like her - who agrees that Halliburton is evil, etc etc - is NOT the enemy. She is AN ALLY - just operating differently than you.

This mini 'argument' is one example of our problem. We 'attack' each other for the way we fight rather than say and affirming 'we are all fighting, each one in our own way.'

Also I assume there are more DUers in the area than just elfwitch. Where are they? Maybe they saw how one responder was bawled out and decided not to try to 'communicate/dialog.'

[redqueen]

13. Are you going to be campaigning for Frost?

I haven't been to any of the Halliburton protests for the same reasons you've stated. Sucks being the only admin here but hey, job security, right?

Anyway you mentioned having to suffer under Republicans - since the Frost battle is predicted to be close by some, I was wondering if you'd signed up to help him with the GOTV efforts. I have but haven't picked up any materials yet. Having Miller elected was a good sign, I think. I'm cautiously hopeful. :)

[elfwitch]

15. I don't have time for anything...

I don't sleep much. I am on the go from 7:30am to 1:30 am 7 days a week. I am tired, broke, and damn near crazy.

DU is one of the few things I sneak time for. If not for DU, most of the time I'd never know what was going on in the world.

[redqueen]

20. Sorry to hear that!

I'll put in extra blockwalking time for ya. :)

Also, hope you're taking a few moments each day for yourself and superkid! :D

[elfwitch]

21. Thank you.

I apprecaite your efforts on out behalf.
I try to squeeze in as much time as I can for me and my little man.

[LoneStarLiberal]

3. Second That

I work, pay my own bills, remain debt free, and use the vacation time I accrue to visit a friend in England and to GOtV both here in Texas and in other states.

Then there's that little matter of burning more Middle Eastern fossil fuels for the drive down to Dallas...

I know it's frustrating mobilizing any kind of protest around here ("here" loosely being the D/FW metroplex), but you certainly aren't going to convince more people to come and protest by questoning their mettle. You need some honey with that vinegar!

[anarchy1999]

5. 100% correct. How much more honey do I need? I've been begging

for weeks now. It's just too much trouble to protest, right? Just can't find the time, fossil fuel and all.....drive down to Dallas, etc. This has been an on going vigil held every Friday. Lots of others are making it, why aren't my dedicated Democrats from DU ever there?

[sui generis]

6. Greetings

Yes I am sure all of us are as involved as we can be. We have to pick our battles carefully and know that not any one of us can fight in all of them.

I don't view my participation in the process as done most effectively in protests, simply because there isn't enough time to get in front of our congressmen and senators, participate in my "pet" charities and events, and then go haul signs for a day. Other people may not have the resources to chase down our legislators, but are doing their part on their "pet" issues. We're all in this together -- trying to shame us is barking up the wrong tree.

[anarchy1999]

9. I'm not trying to shame anyone.

I'm sorry for all. I understand picking battles and etc. but couldn't just one DU'er have made it in the last six weeks.

[anarchy1999]

17. And I go back to could not one DU'er in the entire DFW area have not

made it once in six weeks. Please find the time, it is important. We need you all.

[redqueen]

22. How many from the Peace Center are showing up?

How large are they now?

Someone commented that they'd like to see this make the news. I don't think they watch what passes for 'news' here. The only protests that get shown on TV are the ones that make Democrats look bad (think Al Lipscomb).

[anarchy1999]

23. Here is your chance...... to make the news.

We have counter-protesters showing up with the support of KLIF radio and the www.protestwarrior.com group. Check them out. Not a nice bunch of people.


http://forum.protestwarrior.com/viewtopic.php?t=18557&start=30

http://randomnumbers.blog-city.com/read/625961.htm

[redqueen]

25. See?

This won't be good for us no matter which way you slice it.

When the only media in town is repuke media, well there you are.

I guess The Observer might cover it. Have they?

[Catherine Vincent]

18. A DUer did make it in the last six weeks.

You did! (just kidding)

Come on Dallas DUers! Protest in front of Haliburton and let's see you make the news!

[anarchy1999]

26. That is all I was asking for. Just for some DU'ers to show.

Did not in my wildest dreams imagine I would start such a firestorm of protest as to why there is no way to be there, at any time.

[redqueen]

27. No visibility, no change realistically expected from Halliburton

What's the point? Really?

[anarchy1999]

28. You know, each and every one of your are right. Why should we bother?

I'll just not go today. Instead I'll go to dinner and a movie. Maybe Shrek, Maybe The Day After Tomorrow. To hell with it all. It's been fun you all.

[redqueen]

29. Oh stop

This doesn't mean nothing you do will make a difference.

There's an old saying: pick your battles wisely. Well... if you care about this battle and you think it will make a difference, then don't give up! Obviously, some of us disagree, that's all.

Just stop hating on us for not doing what *you* think will make a difference. If you could convince us that it will make a difference somehow, I'm sure people would come around.