NLG in PDX: Radical?

I just returned from the National Lawyers Guild Convention in Portland, Oregon. It was, for me, the most inspiring convention I've been to for the NLG (I've only been to two others - last year in Birmingham and the year before in Minneapolis). Lynne Stewart - a harmless grandmother who the Feds are trying to lock up for decades - spoke from a position of strength despite her very vulnerable situation. There were more people of color present than I've seen previously - both in the audiences and on the panels. The Gender Outlaws and Queer Rebels panel was something I don't believe the Convention has ever seen. A lot of young, bright, people took on positions of power (or are likely to when all the votes are tallied). And I could go on.

Still there were divisions. For me the primary divisions were between those with a more radical outlook versus those who had what they saw as a more practical, reform-minded, (and again in their minds) more effective outlook. For this latter group there tended to be more years of experience, but also lifestyles that were more dependent on the status quo. For this latter group there was also a sense of shame and a desire to be part of mainstream American politics (or at least the political games that are the focus of the corporate media and sadly have a hold on power at the present moment in history). "People don't take us seriously." "Nobody cares about the NLG." "I want to actually win a political battle." These are the types of statements I heard from these folks.

Who does take us seriously? Maybe politicians in Washington, or Sacramento, or Austin don't care about the NLG, but 30 years ago these folks didn't care about the Federalists. They stuck to their crazy, right-wing principles anyway and kept at it. Now the most powerful man in the world (theoretically) consults them on every judicial appointment. Plus, and more importantly, the people who do take us seriously and do care about the NLG are not powerful people, but they should be important to us: The activists we defend; The immigrants we work with; The victims of police abuse for whom we demand justice. For the younger folks, and those with more radical outlooks, it was these people we sought to impress. For us, we were more concerned with expanding on this work - why aren't we helping more of the powerless and earning their respect?

Winning a political battle, after all, isn't always about getting a bill passed or getting a particular person on a Circuit Court. Indeed sometimes passing a bill that appears to provide positive, short-term benefits, is actually a step backwards if in the course of getting that bill passed principles were sacrificed. This is the view of the radicals in the organization, like myself. Stick to our principles of internationalism, genuine equality, and anti-racism, and work hard to convince the doubters, work in coalition, and build our ranks from below. Judging from this year's convention, I believe this is the spirit that will ultimately carry the day for the NLG and in the long run make us a stronger organization, and one that actually has an effect on positive political change.

With that said, I can't report much from Portland about the city. I barely saw any of it, but from what I did see, it seemed very clean and well planned. Plus Mount Hood looked really beautiful from the train. Next year's convention will be in Austin, so to all my pals in TX - get ready for the NLG.