"Axor looked distressed. 'This conversation is taking a horrid turn,' he said. 'What can we do about it but tend our private affairs and pray to God for mercy upon helpless beings throughout the galaxy?'" (p. 259)
Everyone can do more than that, Father. Where you have a vote, exercise it. Where you don't have a vote, campaign for one. Lobby elected representatives. Organize - at work and in communities. Learn from previous resistance to military dictatorships and from other struggles. If you can't give a lead, then follow someone else's lead - but not blindly.
That's a start.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think your solutions to what distressed Fr. Axor unconvincing and unrealistic. A ruthless usurper like Olaf Magnusson would have no trouble using brute force to crush attempts at stirring up resistance to him using your methods. They might sometimes work if the despot or usurper's cause was visibly weakening.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
People are resisting military dictatorships right now. I salute the Sudanese neighbourhood committees and the Russian anti-war protestors.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Again, you are missing the point, one I actually touched on above. The Russian dictator Putin is now facing resistance because of the troubles he is visibly in. Esp. what now seems to be a failing war in Ukraine. If that had been otherwise, if Ukraine had been quickly conquered, Putin would feel himself MUCH more secure and most Russians would have been at least outwardly submissive.
As for the protests in Iran, it all depends now on whether the theocracy still has the strength and support needed to crush discontent. WHICH is what has happened in the past.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
People are right to protest in Iran, though! There was even a protest of Iranian men here in Lancaster. They shouted "I am...," followed by the name of the young woman who was murdered by the police.
My advice to Axor was intended to have a wider application, to beings throughout the galaxy: what they can do other than just attend to their personal business and pray. I agree that, in the Patrician System, opponents of Magnusson would have to take account of the balance of forces and avoid just putting their own heads on the block. But they would also urgently need to start planning and preparing to act more openly at the earliest opportunity.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Of course the Shia theocracy In Iran is a nasty despotism which deserves to be overthrown. I simply doubt that will happen unless and until the Revolutionary Guards and the army themselves become disaffected.
Second paragraph, I agree. Opponents of Magnusson would have to wait till an opportunity to EFFECTIVELY strike at him came.
Ad astra! Sean
In politics, there are symbolic gestures which make you feel good, and then there's effective action.
I might point out that in the Technic history, control of space is control of planets, because even if they make themselves ungovernable the power controlling the space above can simply bombard them from there until the oceans boil.
Street protests are unlikely to be very effective against that. That's why Aneas submits after Flandry scuppers the revolt there.
Street protests, like everything, have their limits! There are peace demonstrations on Esperance before the Terran Fleet attacks the Domain of Ythri. The size and persistence of such demonstrations, and their associated campaigns, might influence future political decisions about whether to wage war.
Kaor, Paul!
And I agree more with Stirling than with you. PRACTICALITIES severely limits how effective mere demonstrations can be.
And those "peace demonstrations" on Esperance did not prevent war between the Empire and the Domain.
Ad astra! Sean
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