NOW THAT, with the new regime, we face an acute material and moral crisis in our already unequal, dysfunctional society, some of us are planning to hide, to try to stay out of harm's way. Some are clearly chomping at the bit—there is oil to be seized. Others are asking ourselves how we can fight back. For those who are forced or feel compelled to respond, there are two problems to consider: ethics and effectiveness.

Ethics involves a loss. On an intimate level, when we challenge or engage a person we know, we risk discomfort. And discomfort means questioning ourselves, having to adjust. In