As activists, we need to think seriously about what language we use to describe ourselves and other people who have experienced any form of violence, including the violence of having a home poisoned by a gas company or a son killed by indifference to worker safety.

When the plutocrats and their minions abuse the average citizen, it is called "oppression." When the oppressed presumed to assert their rights as citizens, the Republicans call it "class warfare." We call it justice ... or, the American way. No feints in that.

We must not and cannot dismiss these incidents as simply the actions of a few individuals, for oppression exists on multiple levels in multiple forms.

Up close, the tightly woven fabric of oppression may exhibit unique features from swath to swath, but a step back will reveal the thematic semblance interwoven throughout.

We must not and cannot dismiss these incidents as simply the actions of a few individuals, for racism and other forms of oppression exist on multiple levels. These incidents are symptoms of larger systemic national problems.