Stardate 20010718.1154 (On Screen): I have noticed many times before a substantial difference in the commitment and discipline of the anti-abortion movement and the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's that they think they're imitating. The Civil Rights movement made many physical sacrifices, permitting themselves to be beaten by cops and to march in beastly conditions of sunlight or cold. In one high profile case they boycotted the bus system in a major city and walked everywhere they needed to go, to protest "sit in the back" policies.
One of the best tactics of the Civil Rights movement was "Civil Disobedience". This means to deliberately violate a contested law, to then permit yourself to be arrested and tried, and to not contest the arrest in court and to go to jail. By doing this you win the following: you get priceless publicity, you make your movement look virtuous and the law and those who passed it and enforce it look venal, and by so doing you rally people to your cause and diminish support for your opponents. The one critical thing is to go to jail, to not contest the charges. It is by serving time that you make your point.
The anti-abortion movement apparently doesn't march on sunny days because it's too hot. There was a case a few years ago where anti-abortion activists committed civil disobedience and were arrested, but when they came to trial they tried to claim that they should be let off because of the morality of their motivation for breaking the law. All this does is to make them look like lightweight cowards, unwilling to really put it on the line. Pfeh. (discuss)
