I want to propose a new meme for thinking about October 27 and the invited speakers.

Having the invited speakers is an opportunity. They were not invited so they could speak to the protesters. They were invited so the protesters could speak to them. In what other venue do antiwar activists have such unfettered access to the people invited to speak on Oct. 27. Where else can you express yourself to them in such an effective fashion as we will be able to do on Oct. 27?

Picture this:

One invited speaker with a microphone and sound system.
vs.
Thousands of people refusing to be silent while said invited speaker speaks.

In that situation, who wins the game of "Who Can Outshout Whom"?

The answer is clear. Let the invited speakers come. Let them get up on the stage. Let them feel all important there before us. And as soon as they open their mouths to speak, shout them down until they sit back down or leave the stage or whatever they do. We have an opportunity to show them that we are not interested in what they have to say and that the balance is shifting so that the ones who do the talking are us, the people, not them. We've listened enough. Now it's time the powerful hear us. October 27 is an opportunity to put the powerful in a position where they have to hear us. They are our audience; we are not theirs. It is an opportunity. We should use it. We should be glad for it. Where else do you get an opportunity like this for thousands of people joined to tell Daley, Obama, and Durbin what we think? Don't let it pass without making the best of it? When is the next time we will be given such an opportunity?

And consider the media. Maybe the media will focus mainly on the invited speakers, not on the protesters, as has been suggested elsewhere. And what will the media show? It will show invited speakers being shouted down by people who are finished with being told how things are going to be. That is a bonus opportunity, to get that demonstration of resistence onto people's TVs. Daley couldn't speak, Obama couldn't speak, and Durbin couldn't speak. They came and had speeches all prepared, but the crowd was not interested in what they had to say an refused to listen.

So don't complain. We are being handed a golden opportunity, and we should make the best of it. These "leaders" are being brought right out into the open, right out into the public square so that we can direct our united and concentrated rage at them. We can either passively allow them to be shown by the media saying some pleasant words and making empty promises, or we can use the opportunity to show the viewing public that this society is on the verge of open rebellion.

So take this meme and spread it: Oct. 27 is an opportunity to speak to the powerful, not for them to speak to us. On that day it will be us talking, not them. They will be silenced as we tell them what we want. Remember that all of Chicago is watching, maybe even all the nation. If the crowd is passive as the speakers speak, it will send one message, but if the crowd is uncooperative, it will send a different message. Come to the Oct. 27 rally with joy in your hearts and with the purest determination to be loud, oh so fucking loud.