'I may be blind, but I can see through the lies'
Pip Hinman
Duncan Meerding is a member of the socialist youth organisation Resistance and one of the hundreds of volunteers who, week in and week out, help distribute Green Left Weekly.
Early this year, Duncan was diagnosed with a rare genetic eye condition â Lebers Hereditary Optic Neuropathy. Over the last 12 months he has lost almost all of his central vision, though he retains his peripheral vision.
The loss of sight makes distributing the newspaper harder, but Duncan is determined to continue to help get Green Left around. "I may be blind, but I can still see through the lies of the capitalist media", he says. "You don't have to be able to see to realise that the world needs changing. The more people read the paper, the more they will be more inspired to fight back."
At the huge November 15 rallies against the federal government's industrial relations attacks, Resistance organised "Up Yours Howard" contingents, which met either at the main rally or a bit earlier. In Perth, around 100 young people met up beforehand to march together carrying banners and flags declaring "KFC = finger lickin' greed" and "WorkChoices = no choice".
Resistance also organised the "Books not Bombs" movement against the Iraq war in early 2003. Tens of thousands of high-school students, and others, joined the rallies and marches demanding that the Howard government not join the coalition of the killing. The right of students to leave school to make a political statement was again etched into the national consciousness, disproving the lie that young people are apathetic, disinterested and all the rest.
Resistance is now planning "seditious" speak-outs against the new terror laws and is organising solidarity actions on December 2 in support of the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela. Resistance members helped organise the first Australian solidarity brigade to Venezuela this year â and many of its members went along to see the first revolution of the 21st century firsthand. Resistance members also helped set up and staff Green Left Weekly's new bureau in Venezuela's capital city, Caracas.
Green Left Weekly wouldn't get around without the help of the young activists in Resistance. The youth of today will make our future, but Green Left Weekly needs the help of all our supporters, regardless of their age.
Help us get Green Left around by buying a subscription to the paper for Christmas â a present for yourself or a friend. This issue of the paper is our second last for 2005. Next week we will be producing a bumper edition, packed with great holiday reading.
You can subscribe online at <http://www.greenleft.org.au/subscribe.htm>. And if you can help distribute the paper in other ways â such as by taking a few to your local union office, a caf, a bookshop or a university â get in touch on the freecall number 1800 634 206 or email me at <piph@greenleft.org.au>.
From Green Left Weekly, November 30, 2005.
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