The latter, unfortunately, is doomed from the start, because the government is not that interested in what its citizens want. Unless they form a lobby group, of course. So Direct Action — while potentially questionable and often synonym to terrorism — may be more effective in eliciting some kind of change. The only way to really make the government pay attention is financial terrorism (which average citizens, even organized, cannot really pull off) or civil unrest, potentially leading into revolution. I know it is a bit of an extreme view, and I wish to be proven wrong; but in the last 7 years I have started paying a bit more attention to what goes on in the world, and this is one of the conclusions I have arrived at.

But, more on this at the upcoming Third Tuesday, I hope.