Dean at Berkeley: "Power to the people is not dead. Activism is not dead."

[madfloridian]

I want to say I am very proud of Howard Dean for doing this. We can not let activism be dead. Not now.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-free-speech-at-40,0,1153542.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

SNIP..."BERKELEY, Calif. -- Forty years ago, Free Speech Movement protesters at the University of California, Berkeley, were hauled off in handcuffs. On Friday, they were welcomed back with open arms.

A rally featuring former Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean was the highlight of a week of events that included lectures and teach-ins commemorating the 1964 protest.

A common theme of the events: Get involved.

"Activism is not dead. Power to the people is not dead," said Dean, who spoke to a crowd of about 3,000 gathered under a blazing blue sky...."

Picture from 40 years ago. And one from today with Dean.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/041008/480/fx10710082234

Standing atop the crushed roof of a campus police car, a University of California student asks Cal students to identify themselves during the third day of Free Speech Movement demonstrations at Berkeley, Calif., Oct. 2, 1964. Forty years ago, Free Speech Movement protesters at the University of California Berkeley, were hauled off in handcuffs. Friday, Oct. 8, 2004, they were welcomed back with open arms. A noon rally featuring former presidential hopeful Howard Dean (news - web sites) was the highlight of a week of events that included lectures and teach-ins commemorating the long-ago protest against a ban on political activities on campus.

[DFLforever]

1. LOL! I love the way they have him standing over that car

ala the 1964 photo. More symbolic this time but symbols are important.

The Gov has his sleeves rolled up again too - getting ready to go back to work post election.

[madfloridian]

2. Here is the one from 40 years ago. Powerful.

[Cha]

3. Awesome picture!

Dean out there doing the Work! Free Speech Forever! Not to be taken lightly in this current Orwellian climate.

[madfloridian]

4. "You have the power....use it."

SNIP.."You have the power to stand up as they did in this very spot 40 years ago for a democratic America which allows ordinary people to reclaim their government," he said. "You have the power. Use it."

The Free Speech Movement culminated on Dec. 2, 1964, when 1,000 students marched into Sproul Hall for a sit-in and nearly 800 were arrested. Shortly after that, faculty voted to drop speech restrictions.

But the movement stretched beyond that, becoming a catalyst for the anti-Vietnam War protests that followed.

Very symbolic.

[madfloridian]

5. Molly Ivins also took part there today.

http://www.timesstar.com/Stories/0,1413,125~1549~2452718,00.html

SNIP..."A syndicated political columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Ivins' column appears in 114 newspapers throughout the nation. She was in town to deliver the eighth annual Mario Savio Lecture, part of UC Berkeley's celebration this week of the 40th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement.

Savio, who died in 1996, was an eloquent leader of the Free Speech Movement. "Savio had a thrilling way of making people see politics," Ivins said.

With the timing and delivery of a polished comedienne, Ivins' anecdotes touched on important issues facing Americans today, including the war in Iraq and the need to encourage more of the public to vote. "Elections in this country are decided by people who don't vote," she said.

She also sat down for a brief question-and-answer session with Orville Schell, dean of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, one of the sponsors of Ivins' talk. Most of the questions -- solicited from the audience and written on slips of paper before Ivins' lecture -- were about President Bush, except for one posed by UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau. In brief remarks before Ivins took the stage, Birgeneau asked about the status of free speech in America today -- whether it's better or worse than it was when the Free Speech Movement launched in 1964....."

[NYCGirl]

6. Wow. I wish I could have seen this in person.

I went to college nearby at SF State, and saw Mario Savio speak many times.

[madfloridian]

7. That would have been awesome.

I don't remember him, but I remember being so impressed by the courage of the students there.

[realFedUp]

8. cool picture

I'm voting for Kerry, but Dean still gives me goose bumps.

[Eloriel]

12. Amen!

I also have to say I kept thinking of Dean last night again and again, as I watched Kerry boxed into the difficult positions he'd put himself in because he had supported the lies in the past and had to stick with and try to justify those positions, or not responding forcefully and directly enough to Bush's lies and distortions, or watching him get lost wandering around in his own Senatorial verbiage.

Sigh.

[Andy_Stephenson]

15. <Sigh> is right...

Dean was and is IMHO "electable". He would have wiped the floor with shrub last night. Ah...if only.

Rock on Doc!

[mandyky]

18. Same here!

Senor shrubbo beat himself, Dean would have REALLY cleaned his clock.
Plus Dean doesn't have the "baggage" Kerry does about raising taxes, etc.

[Jose Diablo]

9. Kick

[Cha]

10. Kick for Free Speech and

Dean!

[madfloridian]

16. And a link to some more pics.

Someone shared these at the blog.
http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?showSlide=true&Uc=y90vvga.wtoo7qe&Uy=we4ldl&Upost_signin=BrowsePhotos.jsp%3fshowSlide%3dtrue&Ux=0

[hedda_foil]

11. Amazing imagery. Amazing message.

Howard just takes my breath away. I just finished his new book and it's absolutely wonderful. He had a co-author, but it felt as if he were speaking directly to me.

[madfloridian]

13. You are right about the book, it is like having a conversation.

When I think about this war now, the way it is going over there....I realize why he took time to do this. He said not long ago that it was coming to point where being nice was not going to work....that we were not dealing with nice men.

All one had to do was listen to that man named Bush in the debate last night to know how true that it. Yelling at the moderator? When has then ever happened before?

[madfloridian]

14. Some more pictures at this link. What a day that must have been.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/10/09/BAG9T96KVV1.DTL&type=news

SNIP.."The Free Speech Movement's electrifying act of defiance 40 years ago -- surrounding a police car at UC Berkeley and using it as a speaker's platform -- received a long-delayed curtain call Friday as movement veterans and former Democratic Presidential contender Howard Dean used another police car as a stage for fiery oratory.

This time, however, UC police willingly provided the vehicle, and the former scowls of campus administrators had become smiles. "

Dean being greeted by well-wishers after his speech.

[Rose Siding]

22. Oh that's a gorgeous picture...

with all the hands on him. Makes me cry *sniff*

Just gorgeous.

[madfloridian]

24. That moved me, that picture.

:hi:

[madfloridian]

17. One last kick for the power of the people and the inspiration.

Since this is about to be archived, I thought one last kick. This is symbolic to many now. Those who remember the era of the Vietnam protests.....know that the time is getting ripe again. The Berkeley anniversary is like a remembering of things past, and is perhaps saying that we are going to have to find our way again in this Iraq fiasco.

[durutti]

19. Pfft. Like he'd know.

Sorry, Dean's jut as bourgeois as the rest of them. He's just better at convincing folks he's not.

Dean, Kerry -- it's a sad commentary on the state of American politics that we're reduced to voting for either of them.

[madfloridian]

20. Against the rules to advocate not voting for Kerry. Shame on you.

You are trying to be divisive. I was not. I was presenting something positive of a new movement stirring. You are just trying to stir the pot of anger.

You should be ashamed!

[goforit]

21. WhooooHooooo DEAN .......Rock on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kerry needs to know you're still behind the scenes
strong as ever!!

And when Kerry wins the election......Kerry WILL have to toe
the line!!!

[wryter2000]

23. More pictures

&paper=chronicle&file=BAG9T96KVV1.DTL&directory=/chronicle/archive/2004/10/09&type=news

Hope this goes through this time.

[madfloridian]

25. A complete write-up, slide show, and a video of segments.

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/10/10_fsmrally.shtml

I thought this was a most important statement made about cynicism being so dangerous now.

SNIP..."Jackie Goldberg, Bettina Aptheker, and other Free Speech Movement veterans are every bit as passionate about the need for current Berkeley students to embrace political activism as they once were about fighting for their own right to exercise free speech on campus.

"Cynicism is the most important method of social control in America today," Goldberg, now a California assemblymember, told the 3,000-plus people gathered at Sproul Plaza at noon on Friday (Oct. 8) to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley. "Because what it does, it tries to make sure that very old, affluent, very rich, very white men still run everything … You have to give up cynicism and realize your own power."