PASS THIS ON - in away messages, your journals, to your friends, in emails . . . just get the word out
Quoted from "lupercal" in anti-war (sorry, but I don't know how to make those cool links):
"Please. As soon as is convenient for you after reading this. Go out. Buy some postcards. On the subject side, write the words:
Live and Let Live
and then at the bottom, put your first name or nickname and the country you live in.
Nothing else. Write how you like. use any pen you like. But don't change the words. Or add anything.
Then send them to some people in power.
Why?
I've had enough. I don't want to be part of a war for global supremacy. I can't stop it. I can't change it. But I have to do something.
Also, driving home through the sunset I remembered one of the things I used to plan and plan to do as a child. Start a thing about lining up down roads and holding hands. talk to another school and get them to start a thing too. make it grow. make it grow over the whole world. I never did it. And I can't remember what it was meant to protest about. it wasn't global holocaust, because there was this amazing picture book I got the idea from where children make the presidents throw all the keys away, and I know it was for something else. It never happened.
In a world where personal tragedy is about all we can feel and the tragedy of innocents is a daily occurence, I cannot effect change, but I, and the internet, can create beauty. If it makes a difference or doesn't - no matter - it is done.
Now me sending a few postcards is an act of randomness not beauty. But the more people that do this the closer to beauty we get. And when people in power everywhere are wondering why someone has sent them a card saying Live and let Live, and the media are asking questions but the meme has spread so far nobody knows exactly why - then we have beauty.
It is initially about the massively superior "our way or no-ones way" West. But its about a million other things too - notably of late the current public entertainments legislation which could make it impossible to have concerts in churches or shopping centres and might force all pubs that have 1 or 2 person acts on or host folk clubs to stop. Its about the reaction to violent death being banning toy guns rather than tackling the reasons gang warfare happens. Its about anti-terrorist legislation leading to ethnic cleansing in the USA. And thats just things I've heard of in the last few days.
So send the cards wherever you like. Wherever you think the message needs to be brought home. But please - send them. Its a small thing but it could be beautiful. And just occassionally it might make people think.
If you want to know why that phrase - the answer is simple - it came into my head (in the voice of the MC from Cabaret) - and if this is to happen rather than me spend forever planning to make it happen - I have to go with the first idea which encompasses what I want to say, which is non political but perfectly says what I want to say.
If why postcards... sometimes the internet is just not tangible enough...
Places you might like to send your cards (see the linked section for reasons why).
Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
Prime Minister's Office
10 Downing Street
LONDON
SW1A 2AS
President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dr Kim Howells MP
Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting
Department of Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH
http://www.locata.co.uk/commons/
(find your local MP)
the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Dover House
Whitehall
London SW1A 2AU
(he's the guy who can get Clause 28 reppealed)
Ok
Please - do this - and pass it on - amend the accompanying text as you wish - so long as you keep the original spirit alive
don't pass it on if you don't believe in it enough to do it
Enough. It's begun"
"Please. As soon as is convenient for you after reading this. Go out. Buy some postcards. On the subject side, write the words:
Live and Let Live
and then at the bottom, put your first name or nickname and the country you live in.
Nothing else. Write how you like. use any pen you like. But don't change the words. Or add anything.
Then send them to some people in power.
Why?
I've had enough. I don't want to be part of a war for global supremacy. I can't stop it. I can't change it. But I have to do something.
Also, driving home through the sunset I remembered one of the things I used to plan and plan to do as a child. Start a thing about lining up down roads and holding hands. talk to another school and get them to start a thing too. make it grow. make it grow over the whole world. I never did it. And I can't remember what it was meant to protest about. it wasn't global holocaust, because there was this amazing picture book I got the idea from where children make the presidents throw all the keys away, and I know it was for something else. It never happened.
In a world where personal tragedy is about all we can feel and the tragedy of innocents is a daily occurence, I cannot effect change, but I, and the internet, can create beauty. If it makes a difference or doesn't - no matter - it is done.
Now me sending a few postcards is an act of randomness not beauty. But the more people that do this the closer to beauty we get. And when people in power everywhere are wondering why someone has sent them a card saying Live and let Live, and the media are asking questions but the meme has spread so far nobody knows exactly why - then we have beauty.
It is initially about the massively superior "our way or no-ones way" West. But its about a million other things too - notably of late the current public entertainments legislation which could make it impossible to have concerts in churches or shopping centres and might force all pubs that have 1 or 2 person acts on or host folk clubs to stop. Its about the reaction to violent death being banning toy guns rather than tackling the reasons gang warfare happens. Its about anti-terrorist legislation leading to ethnic cleansing in the USA. And thats just things I've heard of in the last few days.
So send the cards wherever you like. Wherever you think the message needs to be brought home. But please - send them. Its a small thing but it could be beautiful. And just occassionally it might make people think.
If you want to know why that phrase - the answer is simple - it came into my head (in the voice of the MC from Cabaret) - and if this is to happen rather than me spend forever planning to make it happen - I have to go with the first idea which encompasses what I want to say, which is non political but perfectly says what I want to say.
If why postcards... sometimes the internet is just not tangible enough...
Places you might like to send your cards (see the linked section for reasons why).
Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
Prime Minister's Office
10 Downing Street
LONDON
SW1A 2AS
President George Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dr Kim Howells MP
Minister for Tourism, Film and Broadcasting
Department of Culture, Media and Sport
2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH
http://www.locata.co.uk/commons/
(find your local MP)
the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Dover House
Whitehall
London SW1A 2AU
(he's the guy who can get Clause 28 reppealed)
Ok
Please - do this - and pass it on - amend the accompanying text as you wish - so long as you keep the original spirit alive
don't pass it on if you don't believe in it enough to do it
Enough. It's begun"