|
|
 |
 |
3.3.2007
TOWARD A UNIFIED REVOLUTIONARY DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT
 A time comes in a nation like America, which is starving for Democratic reform, to consider what it will take to move us from a series of disconnected democratic campaigns to a viable movement. I believe this country has grown weary of the capitalistic atrocities which trample under foot people both at home and abroad, and that they have come to realize that this abuse comes from one fount. So even if it seems like a David vs. Goliath feat to overthrow this system (and it is not, we have the numbers and the will, we lack the focal point and organization) it can and will be accomplished.
We grasp at many instances of the people's disenfranchisement, when our concentration should be on the system as a whole which equally empowers these myriad unjust incidents - both foreign and domestic, racial and economic, gender and political, war and peace, and environmentally both micro and macro (and anything I might have left out here). We have to develope from a series of campaigns to a mass movement, or we will continue to be victims no matter how mighty the struggle in our small area of concentration.
There are TWO EVENTS which graphically depict our condition in the world today, I chose them from the American experience not because we are either superior or more important than the rest of the world, but because they have the same characteristics of what is taking place all over the world, and because this is where my personal experience lies - I am talking about 9/11 and Katrina.
In the aftermath of these two events we have the perfect picture of what not only our government/state has in store for the people, but essentially what all capitalist/imperialistic/empire-like governments/states have in store for their people! I am not going to dwell on who's fault 9/11 (who did it) is, nor will I explore what level of government (local, state, federal) dropped the ball in Katrina - I am solely interested in the answers, the response to these tragedies, because within the response you have the seed of the intent and the future of the people - it is something that we can all see plainly. When we fully grasp the intent of those who "know what's best" for us, than we will get to the specifics of what we need to do together as a democratic revolutionary movement.
In response to 9/11 this government/state rose up as one, and their answer was more oppression of the people, both foreign and domestic. What they did was whet their sword and further fed the military-industrial complex in an unprecedented/unbridled fashion. They said they were going after terrorists, and it a appeared for a short time that this might be the case, but they veered toward their true intent - capital/empire/imperialism in their detour to Iraq, which did nothing to harm us!
They set up a false/straw enemy called "terrorism," blew it out of proportion, and than proceeded not only with their enrichment by sacking Iraq (and sucking dry the people's hard earned money to accomplish this) - but invited all other capitalistic government/states in the world to join them, in the name of fighting terrorism, to oppress their own people to make it safe for trans-national corporations to exploit people all over the world. What it said domestically, to the American people was this - we have no more money for your needs, we are busy fighting terrorism and protecting you - and so all of the democratic advancements that we have made are being rolled back, through either privatization (corporations making profit off the people's commons), or flat-out defunding - this accelerated.
However, they are not satisfied with taking away the democratic advancements of the the last century alone, they want to strike a death blow to any hope you have held from the Bill Of Rights. In the name of "fighting terrorism," they want to spy on you - take away foundational protections - to be able to name you as a "terrorist" and clandestinely imprison you without notice, without warrant, and without legal representation - to disappear you! In the name of some shadowy enemy, they watch you and me - who is the enemy? We have allowed this "National Security" apparatus to grow, and now it will choke out the last vestiges of freedom here and around the world. I say know your enemy, and it is more virile and closer than any threat from a foreign enemy.
Katrina is the second seminal example of what is in store for the people, both at home and abroad - as I said earlier my concentration is not who is specifically at fault, but what has been the response and proposed remedy. The plan in the aftermath is a smaller New Orleans, minus the majority of the black population. A massive plan of gentrification, not accomplished in years but in months.
This plan was regurgitated from the mayor's office, as if it were the redevelopment of governmental process - what it was in reality was a plan devised by the "American Institute Of Architects," and the "Urban Land Institute" in conjunction with big capital! It is more of the same old plan, less for the people and more for the elite few. Now, there was a meeting of activists regarding New Orleans - a handful of experts, it was an uneven, out gunned, match against the afor mentioned. Too little too late, not the force of mass movement but a failed campaign.
So, if we are going to stop this process of capitalism/empire/imperialism, we are going to have to grow from a mass of disconnected campaigns to a Mass Democratic Revolutionary Movement. How do we pull all the pieces together? What specifically does a mass movement concentrate on?
Within those two questions lies the answer, we come together by a specific concentration on specific issues. However, it is not enough to identify the issues (important as that is), we must commit everything to addressing these issues.
These issues must strike more than skin deep at the system, they must hit directly at the heart - in other words, they must sever the root but also plant the alternative. What we must do is make the people and their needs central, while we crush the opposition! You could consider this a political platform - because the alternative is not only more of the same, but the people will remain mere slaves of the enriched few.
We need to stop placing individuals in office who do not represent the people. We have this long trail of elites, who do not identify with any working class people - we have an entrenched class process going on in public office. People who have no monetary cares make policies for individuals that count pennies, health policy is formulated by people who have never sat in a public clinic or have never had the problem of no money for health care - transportation policy is made by those who have never ridden a bus or looked for a parking space - our education policies are legislated by people who have never sent their kids to public school - daycare by those who have high payed nannies to care for their children.
These type of people (above) always say and believe that people of low income are doing just fine, the environment is just fine (they retire from work on their estates). If you put these elites in they will always equate the national interest with the people they rub elbows with, not with the likes of you and I. They see the poor and working class as deserving little because we are regarded as contributing little. This is the same type of person who has brought you the WTO, that was made to fly above the will of the people and national sovereignty! Community interest is subordinated to the interest of finance capital and multi-national corporations. These people meet in secret and do not publicize their proceedings and are not subject to administrative appeal. With this we are in the process of being brought to the lowest common economic denominator "least trade restrictive." The common fallacy is that the elite person you elect is going to rise you higher, or to their station (or so they lyingly say), no - no, they have gotten to where they are by suppressing you, and they will continue to do so in public office! Repeat - watch more carefully who you put in office.
We must stop and reverse the process of privatization, where the commons are put in control of those seeking profit. This not only results in the loss of employment, but the rise of prices for services that used to be available to everyone. We must stop the movement of capital from the private sector to the military. This is the major cause of our debt and infrastructure decay, not to mention the crushing tax burden. We have become the worlds biggest lender to the biggest spender - we must cut this military budget by two thirds within a couple of years. We must also shut down hundreds of military bases all over the world that pose as a protection against "terrorism," when they are merely there to assist worldwide capitalist cronies to oppress people in over a hundred countries.
 The Homeland Security program should be abolished, period! The CIA should be abolished, the FBI, all clandestine agencies! The Patriot Act should be expunged immediately. If not, the budget should be drastically cut along with other National Security Agencies. The Military Commissions Act needs to be wiped out. In fact, all legislation enacted during the reign of this present administration needs to be reviewed and everything detrimental both foreign and domestic needs to to be expunged.
The power of the Executive to act with criminally violent effect against other nations and domestically, should be completely stopped. The Freedom Of Information Act should be enforced instead of ignored by those who say they have nothing to hide and proceed to hide everything. The war in Iraq should be stopped immediately without reservation, troops need to be removed, and the people of Iraq should be left to self-determination!
 US counterinsurgency operations around the world against the poor should be stopped. Eliminate all foreign aid to countries engaged in human rights violations - including capitalistic countries! We do not need to be supporting torture in either Iraq or the rest of the world with our money. The world does not need to be made safer for the Fortune 500. Billions of dollars that flow into the Swiss bank accounts of foreign autocrats could be better spent for human services at home.
Progressive tax needs to be introduced to corporations and the rich elites that reside therein. Those who wish to dodge this requirement by moving offshore should not be allowed to sell or trade within the United States. We need to strengthen the inheritance tax and introduce tax on accumulated wealth rather than just income. Tax relief could be given to the poor and low income levels. We could reduce the regressive Social Security Tax, because it produces a 70 billion dollar surplus that is shifted into the general budget, and that is used to pay all sorts of things rather than subsistence for the elderly.
We need to abolish anti-labor laws like the Taft-Hartly act that makes it so difficult for people to organize into unions. Unions are weak because laws are rigged against them. We need to enforce government national relations acts so that people do not risk their jobs when they try to organize. Owners need to be penalized who do not want negotiate a contract after certification has been won. We need to repeal the restrictive right to work acts and open shop laws that hamper collective bargaining - and the hiring of permanent replacement workers during a strike must be abolished. The minimum wage must be increased to a living wage level!
We must establish a single payer health care plan, that provides comprehensive health care to all, and allows patients to go to doctors of their choice. There is no need to spend billions of dollars more on health care insurance, the funds need to go for medical treatment not to giant insurance and pharmaceutical companies! The numbers of the uninsured have only grown, it is a trend that will not stop because this government refuses to step up to the plate regarding national health care - essentially because special interest money keeps filling the pockets of politicians.
At this point some begin screaming - "where are we going to get all the money to spend for this!" But they don't ask that question about the defense budget, or business subsidies, or on prisons and prison guards - we can get more money by cutting these areas! The government needs to stop feeding massive corporations with subsidies, let them experience some of the private enterprise market that they always talk about! The money spent for those things should go for "not for profit" goals, these muti-billion dollar handouts need to be eliminated for corporations and agri-buisness - we need to get them off welfare! They need to live up to their free market rhetoric.
The national debt is a transfer of money from taxpayers to bond holders, from labor to capital, from average people to the wealthy - we mortgage our future to pay off wealthy creditors. The right-wing policy of borrow and spend needs to be eliminated, and the national debt needs to be rescheduled with full payment slated for the small treasury bond holders and only partial compensation to larger ones!
The re-adjusted debt could help us house the homeless, finance public sector housing. People could be put to work competitively against the private market - we need to cut into some private markets. Work needs to take place where capital is not accumulating other capital, whether private business likes it or not. Look at the "New Deal" work, the manufacturing that went on, where the government went directly into production to meet human needs - it brought in revenues to the government both in the sales of the goods, and the taxes on the new jobs created - but private profit is eliminated for those who live off the labor of others. This is what explains private businesses hostility toward government programs that engage in direct production, they hate anything that bypasses accumulation for them.
 (Theft, by Picasso) Finally, the government that we have now serves corporations at public expense, the policy changes proposed would dramatically reverse that flow producing things for public need rather than corporate greed! This would move us from being a privileged nation for the few and closer to being a democratic republic for the many.
This is easier said than done, because those who have the power do not have this desire and those who desire this do not have the power. The few elite rage against anything that would democratize this economy and infringe on their privilege. If these items are brought under one umbrella of Democratic Revolutionary Movement we would be able to change everything for the betterment of the people.
Posted at 09:07 am by deadringer
 | | | puppeteer
March 11, 2007 01:38 AM PST
It's hard to find clear thinking people these days, especially in the US, from what I see.
I've been noticing your comments on the Angry Arab blog, but this is the first time I visit your own page.
I salute you and I salute your cause!
All the best | |
| | | O'Brien
March 4, 2007 09:07 AM PST
Hi,
You may be interested in our Orwellian protest of the Military Commissions Act. Learn more at http://ministryoflove.wordpress.com. Consider spreading the word elsewhere.
Thanks,
O'Brien | |
| | | Datta
March 3, 2007 04:59 PM PST
Anarchism In America:
http://video.google.com/url?docid=5896151564855675002&esrc=gvpl&ev=v&vidurl=http://video.google.com/videoplay%3Fdocid%3D5896151564855675002&usg=AL29H23BoegXYIirAzfqe238pC05apX1kA
"Promo":
http://video.google.com/url?docid=6032000636085708265&esrc=gvpl&ev=v&vidurl=http://video.google.com/videoplay%3Fdocid%3D6032000636085708265&usg=AL29H20T_VAMaQdg7aRnobDnPTO-BUPixA | |
| | | Datta
March 3, 2007 01:17 PM PST
Another great post Virgil.
It is about time for the "Deadringer Manifesto of Unconditional Liberty"! | |
| | | Datta
March 3, 2007 01:14 PM PST
Noam Chomsky - Questions about Anarchism - 1 of 5
http://video.google.com/url?docid=3496406181779107362&esrc=sr30&ev=v&q=chomsky&vidurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DMIW65cdsbiI&usg=AL29H21Kxw3VXm826cqbvlrOHeb0-_T48Q | |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
