UFPJ Diary - The Case For Participatory Democracy by Tom Good Created on Saturday, October 1, 2005 by Tom Good UFPJ Diary: The Case for Participatory Democracy" is a year long chronology of an activist's experiences working with UFPJ as a War Resisters League (WRL) and Direct Action Tendency (DAT) delegate advocating for direct action. Although the effort to procure UFPJ endorsement of direct action was ultimately successful, the democratization of United for Peace and Justice is apparently a more difficult and probably more protracted struggle. Say, would you let me cry on your shoulder I've heard that you'd try anything twice... But then youyour eyes And you see someone that you physically despise But my heart is My heart isto you - Stephen Morrissey This is an opinion piece, not a position paper of either the Direct Action Tendency, the Industrial Workers of the World, the War Resisters League or September Action. All of the positions advanced are my own, as are the errors. Of course, the final product has profited from some donated labor: many thanks to Brendan Story, David Meieran and Jim Macdonald for their valuable input and valiant efforts to trap my many errors. This piece and my role in the organizing described within it could not have happened without my wife Donyal's patience and generosity (and skills as a photographer). I am also indebted to Ed Hedemann and Ruth Benn who are War Resisters and War Tax Resisters extraordinaire. My friend Matt Daloisio also played a pivotal role in the work described in this piece: Matt, an organizer with Catholic Worker, is incredibly supportive of this writer and my fellow Wobblies. People like Matt help make the WRL a place where the religious left and the secular not only coexist but form a very viable synthesis. I'd also like to thank my brother Sam Morales for having made this journey with me. Sam is a true revolutionary and good friend. Lastly I want to thank my comrade Frida Berrigan for providing an example, in terms of level of activism, that always makes me feel guilty for not doing enough to elevate the Struggle. This piece is a Call To Action: the ultimate goal is the creation of a space wherein all activists can ramp up their level of participation - on their own terms. I - Introduction There is no shortcut to a society of participation. Either one makes the basic institutions internally democratic or one is blessed with political institutions that take on the coloration of their surroundings. - C. George Benello A little more than a year ago I was driving home from the Socialist Party's National Committee meeting in Pittsburgh when my mobile rang. Winding my way along the Pennsylvania Turnpike I listened as Greg Pason, the SP's National Secretary, asked if I would be willing to represent the Party as the national delegate to United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ). I was a little wary of committing to any more meetings, however, Greg would not be denied and I saw this as an opportunity to lobby UFPJ to embrace direct action. I said yes... I am now at the end of my rookie year as a UFPJ delegate. Much has changed in a year's time: we've created a tendency of the SP devoted to activism, UFPJ has embraced direct action and I applaud them for that. As for democratizing UFPJ, I am no longer convinced that this is an attainable goal but I encourage and support all of the dedicated activists who continue to struggle towards this end. As I complete a year's worth of work within UFPJ I am recommending to the Direct Action Tendency that we disaffiliate in order to work with September Action with the long range goal of creating a new organizing model predicated on participatory democracy and direct action. Although I am resigning as DAT New York's local delegate to UFPJ I am not advocating that we anti-authoritarians not sit at the same table with UFPJ: I plan to do so. But I plan to speak frankly, at that table and elsewhere, about the need for sweeping and immediate reform in United for Peace and Justice. In as much as UFPJ claims to speak for the anti-war movement they need to start listening to those of us who are rank and file organizers. Whether we are card carrying members or not. Although I lobbied hard for UFPJ to embrace direct action, suffered through innumerable meetings and teleconferences and eventually saw the creation of the Nonviolent Direct Action (NVDA) working group, I did not participate in its first action: the civil disobedience at the White House that took place on September 26, 2005. I opted out, choosing instead to join in an autonomous direct action at the Pentagon. What follows is the story of how it came to pass that what I fought for in UFPJ was realized and why I chose not to be a part of its first outing. It is also an attempt to analyze the shortcomings of UFPJ and make a case for participatory democracy within that organization. In my estimation, the effort to democratize UFPJ will prove to be much more difficult than the struggle to get UFPJ to accept direct action, and is probably more meaningful for both the peace movement in general and its direct action arm in particular. In the end, although I have opted to work to create a new organizing model external to UFPJ, I believe, given UFPJ's size and organizational profile, that the struggle for democracy must be carried on, from within and from without. To read more go to: http://www.septemberaction.org/cs/node/528?PHPSESSID=a1af5f5a9a13cddbbb12839e568707ea For publication attachments, click here and here