Defend the Dream, Defeat the Scheme

The Gantt Report

Shaka Zulu is historically recognized as a military genius. The once African leader won hundreds and hundreds of battles with his imaginative and creative war tactics.

Shaka was never ever defeated in a fair fight. But African arrows and spears proved to be no match for European bullets and cannon balls!

When The Gantt Report said the students occupying the Florida Governor’s office would not get the Special Legislative Session they sought and would have to leave the Capitol, more than a few people claimed that I was hating on the students.

No, I don’t hate students. In fact I love students that stand up and speak out about social and political injustice and inequality.

When I was a student in the late 1960s and early 1970s I was quick to join a march, a sit in or some other kind of protest.

However, today I am reluctant to do any of those things that I did in the past. I don’t march now because marches don’t work. I don’t sit in now because sit ins don’t work. And I don’t sing “We Shall Overcome” because I can get more justice by swinging than I can by singing!

There has been more than one World War that was fought with guns and bullets. Guns and bullets will get you killed in 2013.

Today’s enemies are killed with cruise missiles, tomahawk missiles and President Obama’s favorite weapons, predator drones!

The Dream Defenders, and other student activists need good advice. The problem is good advice is hard to come by but bad advice surrounds the students each and every day.

I know Dr. King and Gandhi struggled and protested using non-violent civil disturbance tactics that got them beaten and jailed before they ultimately made some progress and got a few things done.

In 2013 the tactic could still get you beaten and jailed but it won’t get you progress, it won’t get you justice and it won’t get you equality.

It is hard to be non-violent with people that have guns. It is hard to be non-violent with people that want to be violent with you!

So what should students do? I think students should do what works!

If young people want to defend the dream they have to defeat the scheme!

And what is the scheme? The scheme is to keep the masses broke. Don’t give people jobs, don’t loan people money and never teach them how to create their own jobs and make their own money.

You see, in a capitalist society, capital, or money, is the primary motivating factor.

Legislators don’t support bills like “Stand Your Ground” legislation that is supported by The National Rifle Association and other conservatives because they think the laws are great. Politicians support SYG because the NRA makes huge campaign contributions to politicians that vote for it.

Let’s go further. If students want to change education measures or change prison systems, guess where changes must be made. Schools and prisons must be changed by legislation, by politicians!

To me, success is the best revenge! If student want to show the world how serious they are all they need to do is be successful.

Students, for example, need to stop parading “has been” civil rights leaders before political leaders. They have to understand the Republicans hate Rev. Jesse Jackson and anything Jackson supports, Republican politicians will oppose. The GOP hates the President and anything Obama proposes, the Republicans will oppose it.

So what do I propose the students do? I suggest the students start small, be successful and grow from there.

No politician in a college town like Gainesville, Tallahassee or Jacksonville, for instance, that voted for any SYG bill should be in office after the next election.

Why? Because there are at least 100,000 college students in each of those cities and 100,000 students organized and working together should be able to control any election in either of those towns!

College students, working in their own cities can decide who goes to the state House and who goes to the dog house!

I have other ideas as to how student activists can be successful but this column can’t go on forever. If students seek my advice or need my help all they need to do is let me know.

Symbolism looks good but doesn’t work very well. If you can’t defeat every insensitive politician in the world or in your state you can certainly defeat the political fools in your college towns!