March 24, 2005
Justice for All at UT
By Byron LaMasters
The anti-choice national organization, Justice for All is at UT this week. They found three UT students to charter the organization to allow for a demonstration where they put up disgusting 15-foot high pictures of aborted fetuses. The Daily Texan reports. I think that the response to the organization in 2002 was the best. That year, when I was PR Director of the University Democrats, I worked with Voices for Choice to raise pledges for the Lilith Fund - a pro-choice organization that helps fund abortions for low-income women. We asked other students disgusted by the JFA presentation to pledge to donate a small amount - ten or twenty-five cents an hour for every hour that JFA held up their presentation. By the end of the week, we raised several hundred dollars. I would highly recommend that other progressive organizations use similar tactics. Yelling and screaming are easier, but using right-wing organizations as a fundraising tool is much more effective.
Posted by Byron LaMasters at March 24, 2005 11:05 PM
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You really should have mentioned the fact that this year Voices for Choice had a Voices of Reason display with their own 18 foot tall banner structures with informational material on it not but 150 feet away. No screaming or protesting, but fighting fire with fire of equal kind. The only people protesting this year was the International Socialist Organization so don't pin those activities on Voices, it wasn't them.
i haven't had the opportunity to see the protest this year... I'm pleased with the work that ali puente and all of you guys have been doing to counter JFA...
Thank you for a smart, constructive suggestion B! I'll remember that one. Pro-lifers display offensive fetus photos. The sun rises in the East. Some things won't change, and there's no sense protesting them, just as one wouldn't protest the tide, nor the weather, nor the changing of the seasons. Better, as you say, to counter them more thoughtfully and strategically. Challenging your opponent's free speech using the "heckler's veto" cedes them high ground they didn't earn. It's just not smart politics.
I was with Byron when we had that demonstration (I believe I was VP of the UDems at the time). It was a tremendous success, and JFA chose to close their exhibit early because of the great response to our fundraiser.
I really do like when JFA comes to campus, as pro-choice organizations tend to receive donations. spring of 2003 was a good example! :)
