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Reply to : wake up, smell coffee



Dear Stuart, how good of you to write, and with such awesome and
commanding
determination. it is most admirable. yours is a fine craft of wit and
steady
helm in troubled waters. most assuredly, and reassuring pearls of wisdom
for 
us all. however did you imagine for the slightest instant that an
ignorant and
lowly state of mind, should I even venture to dare and call it that,
might assume a tone, as you suggest, to patronize? Who? What? Where?
There is nothing at all I see here in my very limited and small view to
patronize. And conscience, that is indeed a very great thing, perhaps
even greater than "the movement", or any movement. Summer has past, and
winter is fast approaching, in my sector. Chill is not for me. 

It seems that you yourself in your mind have struck a cord. And it plays
for James. Admiration for James Mawdsley we all share, there can be no
doubt. His motivation and his life are his own. The cause is greater
than James or any rebel in the field. James is now locked up, and either
fortified or bearing the hardship well, it is to be hoped.Nothing should
undermine his committment, his determination, his show of moral
indignation. Not you or anyone. James is his own master, perhaps even
now, more than ever, as he is under a different master's hand, a most
intolerant one, where pain is the greatest pleasure of his wickedness.
You appear to know more than leaves me free to comment, as there can be
justice for my speaking out from ignorance and on things where i have no
certainty. 

I must repeat emphatically that strength in solidarity, is a virtue, and 
your defeatist remarks are no tribute to James or anyone now fighting
for or working
towards freedom in Burma, on either side of the prison wall. 

Gandhi is a great example to be followed in Burma. And it may be a
solution. Fill the jails for freedom. So far nothing has seemed to work. 

I do not know you or what you are doing. Speak for yourself. My work and
my committment speaks for itself and needs no justification here other
than to say you are completely and regrettfully wrong. And you are
sinking to a low and uninspired voice of sadness and despair. Pull
yourself up Man, and stay on course! And stay well, keep a firm grip on
yourself and how you may each day work out the solutions, and contribute
to overcoming ignorance and despair. 

May I add that you would do well to read the works of Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, and for that matter, His Holiness the Dalai Lama. 

Concentrate on what is important. And stay well and strong. And please,
in the future, should you wish to communicate with me, do it discreetly,
privately, without abuse or slander. Its not, well, very becoming. Its
negative, and boring. 

Finally, let me ask you, what can you do, today, to help James and
Rachel? Why dont you send them a letter through the Australian and UK
embassy's, and please, nothing but strong positive spirited words of
encouragement and forebearance. Tell him that the world is looking up to
him and he will not be forgotten. Thank you, ds




Stuart Albright wrote:
> 

> Dawn Star,
> 
> There's no need to take this patronizing tone, which you seem to take with a
> lot of people. You may think you're the conscience of the movement, but
> you're not. So chill.
> 
> First: I have complete admiration for James, and consider him a friend. More
> importantly, he's totally committed. He chained himself to Burma and threw
> away the key. I say "poor James" because he showed the way, and no one
> followed. We chickened out. How can you talk about "solidarity in strength"?
> If James is by himself, then there's no solidarity, no movement, no
> strength.
> 
> That's why this is such an important moment. You were exactly right, what
> you said about Gandhi's strategy of filling the jails. That was a brilliant
> strategy, because there was no way the oppressors could fight it. Same thing
> with SPDC. There's nothing in the way of action -- all you need is
> commitment. Fill the jails, and victory is inevitable.
> 
> FACT: Nobody's doing it, Dawn Star. Not you, not me, not the hundreds of NLD
> people who are resigning every week. SPDC is laughing right now.
> 
> That's the truth, and you're just in denial if you accuse me of defeatism.
> You refuse to look at the facts, and you just insist that nobody else look
> at the fact either, we're all just supposed to lull ourselves into a false
> sense of accomplishment.
> 
> We have real problems, and we've got to solve them. Are you going to help,
> or are you just going to keep on pretending everything's fine?
> 
> Stu
> 
> >From: Dawn Star <dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >Reply-To: dawnstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >To: Stuart Albright <stuart_albright@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> >CC: tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, burmanet2-l@xxxxxxxx, burmanet-l@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >Subject: Re: [burmanet2-l] Re: The Times - Bribery is key to life in
> >Burma's death jail
> >Date: Thu, 23 Sep 1999 23:31:02 +0200
> >
> >Stuart, i will reply to you privately, but this message you posted
> >publicly so here and here alone let me say that this kind of defeatism
> >is ueseless and self-defeating and undermines every and all actions that
> >we put forward and intend to put forward; james is a fighter, no more of
> >this "poor james" business. he knew what he was doing, prepared himself
> >and was ready for what happened. do not underestimate him or his
> >determination or what he represents to the world. surely it is hard for
> >him and his parents and closest loved ones. this is a time for
> >solidarity, in strength, not weakness. the enemy will crush the weak
> >hearted and they find sick pleasure in it. it is the spirit that keeps
> >the body alive, remember that. ds
> >
> >
> >Stuart Albright wrote:
> > >
> > > Dawn Star,
> > >
> > > You're right, we don't know exactly what happened. All we know is that
> >they
> > > put Rachel in jail, and suddenly thirty people who were planning to do
> >the
> > > same thing instantly changed their minds. OK, whatever.
> > >
> > > With all the NLD members giving up anyway, what's the point? I know
> >they're
> > > being pressured, but if they're not willing to go to jail, why  should
> > > anyone else? Poor James.
> > >
> > > Stu
> > >
> 
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