The Leno/Letterman Model for Direct Action

http://www.counterpunch.com/oxman11062004.html

Invitation to the Bodily Snatched
The Leno/Letterman Model for Direct Action

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For many months now, I've been trying to recruit activists in confidence, for the purpose of implementing a particular plan for singular direct action which encourages nationwide movement in solidarity.

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Forget about the Lord's Prayer issue in the schools, we can't salute the flag anymore...on the ballfield or in the classroom. For that's clearly where the soldiers and the pencil pushers come from, the inhumane pods. As Robert Jensen suggests, we must say "God condemn America, please, so that the world might live."

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THE PLAN

The Plan is to have 50 people make reservations that will guarantee their being in the audience of Jay Leno's Tonight Show (NBC) on a given date in April. My understanding is that one must make reservations approximately five months ahead of time. Another 50 people will do the same for that same date for CBS' Letterman (N.Y.C.) show.

April 15th would be a good date to shoot for (as a starting date) as it is Tax Day in the U.S., and it can be a day when we tax the government with demands.

If the first "interference" with taping of the shows takes place on April 15th, 2005 (a Friday), follow-up disruptions can occur on the next week's Monday (18th) and Tuesday (19th) shows. From a PR standpoint, there are many reasons why this configuration is...beautiful, pregnant with promise.
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near the end of the piece he says this:

"If the abominable Pizarro could ìconquer the Inca Empireî with less than 200 psychopaths, certainly the abominations of this ìcivilizationî can be effectively addressed with 300 well-intentioned souls."

but the show isn't live, so they would just cut it out of the broadcast.

There are PLENTY of tourists waiting in line to fill the seats of the no-show ticket holders. Many people visiting LA and NY don't even know they have to make advance reservations and just show up.

What a dumb idea.

"My understanding is that one must make reservations approximately five months ahead of time."

But I agree it's a dumb idea. They could delay a taping; if they were well organised, they might delay it 3 or 4 times while they get arrested. After that, the producers would probably just decide to record without an audience (or with company employees as a fake audience), in another studio if need be. At best, it would be a small item at the end of the news. What does he think he'd achieve?