Mitakuye Oyasin

GI War Resistance-Vietnam

2015-02-05T08:09:00.000-06:00

"An American soldier in a hospital explained how he was wounded: He said' I was told that the way to tell a hostile Vietnamese from a friendly Vietnamese was to shout ‘To hell with Ho Chi Minh!’ If he shoots, he’s unfriendly. So I saw this dude and yelled ‘To hell with Ho Chi Minh!’ and he yelled back, ‘To hell with President Johnson!’ We were shaking hands when a truck hit us." — Tuli Kupferburg

"The period from 1968 to 1970 was a period of rapid disintegration of morale and widespread rebelliousness within the U.S. military. There were a variety of causes contributing to this development. By this time the war had become vastly unpopular in the general society, anti-war demonstrations were large and to some degree respectable, and prominent politicians were speaking out against the continuation of the war. For a youth entering the military in these years the war was already a questionable proposition, and with the ground war raging and coffins coming home every day very few new recruits were enthusiastic about their situation. In addition, the rising level of black consciousness and the rapidly spreading dope culture both served to alienate new recruits from military authority. Thus, GIs came into uniform in this period with a fairly negative predisposition." — 1961-1973: GI resistance in the Vietnam war

Radio First Termer was reminiscent of the GI War Resistance during Vietnam. As consciousness heightened, resistance grew to epidemic proportions. Below in four parts are what remain of the underground radio broadcasts by Clyde David DeLay (Dave Rabbit) and company out of a brothel in Saigon.

The Trigger Words of Freedom

2013-06-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

We're told all we say is mined for specific trigger words We're placed in classes and categories by our bywords Our data is stored without our permission All in the name of the Homeland mission

They wage war on the truth tellers and whistleblowers alike Accountability and transparency they highly dislike Do as they say and not as they do A life of comfort they can undo

Freedom of speech can be stifled by fear Afraid to say the words we want to hear So be aware of what's going down Freedom in a slow motion breakdown

As our civil rights are reduced to naughts A society split by the haves and have nots What the future holds does not look pleasant The Rule of Law could no longer be relevant

The Battle Within

2013-06-24T04:24:00.000-05:00

I happened upon a man sitting on the side of the road
His clothes were tattered and his face was furrowed
There was worry tattooed upon his face
Of happiness and hope there was no trace

I offered him some water and he drank of it deep
Then he dropped his shoulders and began to weep
A shadow of the man he had been before
His reasons to live no one could restore

He had seen more than his fragile mind could take
His life transformed into an unceasing heartache
After the four tours in the sands of the Middle East
The connection between his heart and mind had ceased

For him the world and the living were now external
The ghosts of his past were internal and infernal
Slowly any hope of his recovery had disappeared
He was no longer needed and budgets were sheared

Once proud and he was cheered for doing his duty
Now sitting alone and can no longer see any beauty
The thought of death once would make him tearful
Now it's life of which he is the most fearful

Of the horrors of war he'd witnessed therein
Seems the most terrifying battle is the one within
The fields of war he was able to leave behind
But in his mind the war remains confined

Photo: Banksy

We Are the Creators

2013-05-23T07:08:00.001-05:00

Gravel roads full of beautiful stones that are not sought They're just rocks and not worthy of a second thought But knap and flake A stone tool create Voilà...now for a price it can be bought I use the rocks as an example only to illustrate how we create value by our investment of labor. Labor always comes first. Its fruits are what create value. Regardless what any of us do, we should never forget...we are the creators...we create the capital...the capital does not create us. Though the 1% want to rewrite the story and try and convince us the creators of wealth can be found in the backrooms of our corpolitical chambers. They don't create...they benefit from our labor. Empower yourself...believe in you...empower ourselves...believe in us! We can either fall into many pieces and accept their terms of the coming austerity, or we can rise in a united voice and demand transparency and accountability from government representatives and their corporate sponsors. We have them outnumbered 99 to 1...and those are extremely good odds...if...

"...think of what ninety nine percent of the human race want – food, shelter, a secure family life and to be left alone by bosses and busybodies. Unfortunately the one percent who are interested in power and ideals and ideologies are the ones who call the tune." — Aldous Huxley

Hubs and Spokes

2012-09-27T08:09:00.000-05:00

I just read a piece on business implications of tribal aggregation by Jay Deragon on the "The Relationship Economy" website. It is a great explanation of how tribal organizations of purpose, through their behavior, create a hub & spoke of connections, influence and communication. Through shared goals of the tribal organizations, hubs are created where like minded people can communicate, collaborate and co-create in order to achieve specific common goals.

This idea of tribes and hubs is relevant to the Repeace community. The community goal is to make accountability a profitable currency...to place the power back into the institution of the people. This common goal of demanding accountability from business and political leaders is what creates the hub in order to build the numbers needed to make those demands of accountability.

Repeace hopes to rally people behind 4 positive pledges, or demands. To make this work requires large numbers of people who believe in these simple demands, and who are willing to stand up and be counted. Numbers are what businesses and politicians understand, and in order to avert their attention away from the corrupt influence of money, and place the power back into the people's hands, we have to reach a critical mass of people demanding change. The four pledges are simple, and require only that people go to the Repeace website, and invest a couple of minutes to click on the pledge buttons. Here are the four pledges:

I will support businesses that focus on sustainable, local products and services, not on buying influence.
I will support politicians who are accountable to me, not to corporations.
I will support countries that promote and defend freedom of expression.
Worldwide support for all nations.

"The way Repeace wants to give power back to the institution of the people is by creating a worldwide, massive, virtual demand of accountability from businesses, and directing all power of purchase towards businesses who will make concrete steps toward abandoning their financial influence in public policies (money out of politics for increased support)."

"We tell businesses: "Back off of my representatives and I'll buy your products, or else I'll buy from businesses who will."
"We tell politicians: "Find alternative ways to find support and voters other than private cash, or else I'll support candidates who will".

TRIBAL HUBS AND SPOKES

"Tribal behavior creates a “hub and spoke” of connections, influence and communications. Each of us have our “hub” which represents a gathering of friends, family, business associates and extended relations. We reach out to others via “spokes” and we pull others to us via use of distribution “hubs” in which we communicate, collaborate and co-create.

"Tribal communities of purpose willingly share common goals with individuals and other tribes that identify with the philosophical bonds that unites people. Tribes stand for meaningful issues of importance to the human network.

"Tribes are creating five new dynamics that will change the way markets behave. These are:

The tribes control the message with growing influence over markets. If your business cannot relate to the message then you are considered an outsider.
Tribes have a purpose. Help them fulfill their purpose and just maybe you can be a member of their tribe. Understand the purpose and you’ll understand the tribe.
Companies will have to learn that they are not the “connection” to the marketplace rather tribes, internal and external, hold the keys to tribal influence. Marketing, in the traditional sense, carries no influence.
Tribes do not need management they need tools to accomplish their objectives. Tribes are and always will be self managed.
Tribal leaders are dedicated to serving tribe members and the common purpose than themselves.

"The irony of today’s social dynamics is that brands and large networks think and behave like they are the “hub” and “tribes” are the “spokes”. The reality is that as technology progresses tribes are becoming the “hub” and the marketplace, the networks and every organization trying to aggregate us for their purpose are becoming the spoke." read the rest...

Privatized Warriors

2011-12-01T12:07:00.002-06:00

The following is a commentary by Glen Ford, taken from Black Agenda Radio Commentaries.

"The best thing for the U.S. any movement that truly wants an end to U.S. wars, would be to bring back the draft. “The all-volunteer military has made it far easier for the United States to wage unjust and illegal wars, because the vast majority of the population has no direct stake in keeping the peace.” A new study shows the disconnect between Americans and their military is deeper than ever. “This vast experiential chasm between the general population and the U.S. military has reached an all time high during the same decade that has seen ‘the longest period of sustained conflict in the nation’s history.’

Back in 2003, readers argued heatedly that a draft would encourage U.S. militarists to concoct even more expansive war plans, because they would have access to more manpower. But, in this age of drones, smart bombs and million-dollar per man armies it is not manpower concerns, but domestic politics, that dictates how many wars the generals can fight. The Pentagon will wage as many wars as the American public will bear. At present, the U.S. is busy killing people in four large theaters of war and many smaller ones, yet the Pentagon shows no sign of having a full plate. Indeed, the last thing the U.S. military wants is a return to the draft, because they know that selective service would instantly shrink their options for war, because more people would oppose them." the rest...

Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line in your palm
We are fools to make war
On our brothers in arms.

Jobless Citizens Organize

2011-11-30T05:17:00.005-06:00

By the end of the 19th Century, Samuel Gompers and the American Federation of Labor were accepting American capitalism. This was a huge shift from the existing AFL model whose founding Preamble had been constructed around the reality of class consciousness. Prior to this shift from class consciousness to class collaboration, the organization had stood for abolishing wage slavery and preached that capitalism would inevitably create class conflict. After the shift, the organization began proclaiming that class harmony was possible under a benevolent form of capitalism. Under this "benevolent" form of capitalism, organized labor moved away from the horizontal member run model and began structuring itself after the corporate structure of the top-down hierarchy. This is when Labor moved away from class-consciousness and into trade-consciousness, and Business unionism was born!

Here we are 100 years later and the Business Union model has all but disappeared, primarily at the hands of those benevolent capitalists. Years ago Dave Neal did a piece concerning the future of organized labor. The article can be found at H.E.A.R.D., and also at IWW. The piece was pertinent prior to the turn of the Century, and given the further demise of collective workers and the political attack on the public workforce, it's even more pertinent now. The future of the working people arrived at this crossroads years ago, and the devil sang such a sweet tune we were individually mesmerized and Lucifer received the better deal. He walked away with our soul of solidarity. This is what Neal has to say about Business Unionism and its future.

It is my belief that business unionism will eventually die out, and we'll be back to where we were at the turn of the century, where Capital dictates the conditions under which we work without consideration of the consequences -- which are invariably measured in the lives of working people everywhere.

Business unionism won out in the past struggles between Labor and Capital, but in the long run, their vision of worker/owner solidarity is a false one, which is unravelling as we speak, particularly in the wake of NAFTA, GATT, and now MAI. Increasingly, it is Capital who calls the shots, and Labor who takes the lumps -- which explains why hundreds of thousands of working people have been "downsized" for the sake of corporate profits.

What we do from this point forward is what will shape the terrain of the working people for a long time to come. It is time for those in authority to step up and help be the change that our working families so drastically need. Yes, we will all have to make some unwanted sacrifices, but if organized labor truly cares about the working people out here, now would be a good time to show it and carry the torch of social change that will benefit all working people, not just a chosen few. When it is all said and done, it's not the capitalists who are Labor's allies, it's the working people of our world.

I am not naive, I know a shift from craft-consciousness to class-consciousness will not be an easy transition. Any progressive social change will inevitably be a fight of will. Power never cedes power readily; it has to be fought for by the people -- and given the wealth disparity which is so apparent in our country -- as the people participating in the OWS Movement have so eloquently pointed out -- the time for change is ripe!

However, with the continued withering away of business unions, an opening has grown for renewed radical unionism. The challenges are enormous, but the opportunity is there. This has been made possible, conversely, by the greed and machinations of Capital itself -- as the bosses seek to reduce American workers' pay, increase their hours, and slash their benefits, they have themselves created a revolutionary situation.

Management is very aware of this situation, however -- which is why there has been a proliferation of "empowerment sessions" and "team-building" initiatives in companies, where they seek to buy off the workers they still retain with union-style benefits without the unions. In other words, the appearance of empowerment, versus actual workplace empowerment. This masterful PR effort by management reveals the extent to which they'll go to see unionism finally destroyed. Companies want workers to think they're on the same team as their bosses, the way business unions believe. But it's a lie, and always will be.

To all of Organized Labor, there are two questions that need to be asked, followed by sincere discussions of how we can help be the change our people so desperately need. — "If not now, when? If not us, who?"

OWS Poetry Anthology

2011-11-19T05:47:00.005-06:00

People from around the world have been sending poems to the People's Library of Occupy Wall Street in order to create this anthology and show solidarity with the movement. As the OWS movement is horizontal and democratic, all poems are accepted in any language and are subject to be included in the anthology which is updated weekly. The details of submissions can be found on the OWS page I have linked following this poem by Stuart. It is the very first one in the anthology. Keep Occupying!

Taking Brooklyn Bridge
By, Stuart

I apologize Walt Whitman,
when I was young you spoke to me,
I would sit in the old church cemetery
surrounded by the tombstones of patriots
reading you out loud to the stray cats
and you came to me, you sang to me,
showed me myself in everyone and everything,
taught me a democracy of the soul, to live
in the rough and tumble world with dignity,
to grant that same dignity to the people around me.

I apologize Walt Whitman,
I let the song fade into the din
of everyday life, there are excuses
I could make, I will not make them,
I did not carry your song through the streets,
I worried about the strange looks and awkward postures
I might see in those who needed to hear it.
I got complacent, I was informed,
yes, informed, I read the papers, watched the news,
debated over dinners,
knew full well since the days of Reagan
what was happening to the common people like me
that you taught me to love, watched as we were turned
from citizens to consumers to the dispossessed,
and I did not rise up, I did not take to the streets,
did not risk or struggle, did not sing your song
that you so generously gave me.

Over the years I saw the passage of events,
I began to wonder why I and so many others
did not pour into the streets when our votes
were laughed off and our presidency stolen by
fools and plunderers, I wondered why I and so many
others did not challenge the brigand government
when they led us into the unjust war, did not let them
know that the battle we would wage here at home
against that corporate sponsored, oil sopped war of lies
would be far more passionate and just,
I began to wonder why so many citizens did not see that
they were being sold out, duped with the frivolous,
hyped by the hollow, bankrupted by spurious ideologies.

And this unrest began to churn within me,
as I watched the fall of the people, watched
as the great common people were being baited
and cheated by robber barons who would
delight in rekindling the gilded age, to gloat from
their palaces at the miserable, and I wondered
how this could be, how I could be watching the country
I grew up in, the heirs of independence, the tough,
decent, imperfect, hardworking people I venerated
lose the freedom that so many before us fought and died for.

There was a silent book on the shelf, your book,
Walt Whitman, I had kept the exact same copy
I discovered as a youth, inert on the shelf, the song
you taught me muted in the dark, and I was the same
as that book, a song stifled in the closed pages,
serving no one, a dusty decoration.

Then I saw the people who occupied Wall Street
on the news, heard their chants, read their signs,
was drawn by their passion and courage,
and I realized I had watched and wondered
for far too long, that I was perhaps even more guilty
than those who had perpetrated and even profited
from the disaster they now expect us to pay for
because I had done nothing.

My family and I came to stand with the occupiers,
to be one with them,
to raise our voices and march with them, so, that,
at the very least, true freedom and real democracy
would not be ground down without a struggle,
that we could look in the mirror and know
we fought for the just cause, not only for ourselves,
not only for America, but for all people,
now and one thousand years from now,
to tell humanity, to teach them, that freedom is not
purchased on a shopping spree, does not glow
on a TV screen, cannot be put on a credit card,
freedom is a responsibility that one must choose to bear
each and every day and no one can carry it for you,
that you must fight for the freedom of others
in order to have it yourself.

I came to atone for my apathy,
I came to teach the future vigilance,
better to be loud, be awkward, be dirty, be flawed,
you who are to come, make the people uncomfortable
because they are too timid to join you,
make the leaders uncomfortable
because they know you are unafraid,
I tell you that it is better to be one of the great democratic
people than it is to be a lord or a peasant.

We began to march from Liberty Square, a place
that now fully deserves its name, toward
the Brooklyn Bridge, and we chanted and sang
and called to those who watched to join us,
and there was a feeling in the air, a passion that
joined together every hearty soul, we all knew
we were on the side of the just, that we meant
no harm to any person, that we sought no more
than what was fair and sought it not only for ourselves,
and several times on the march my eyes welled with tears,
my emotions overwhelmed by the chaotic, brilliant
beauty of those marchers, of that which we marched for.

The long line of the protesters wound beneath
the towers of those who would squander the world,
devouring all that is good with their insatiable appetites,
making our way to the Brooklyn Bridge and when I saw
the towers of the bridge before me I started to laugh,
what better way to pay back Walt Whitman than to honor
his song at the crossing to Brooklyn,
to march across the bridge
over the waters he crossed so many times,
the bridge that poets have embraced as a symbol,
not only of ingenuity and progress,
not only of endeavor and perseverance,
but as a symbol of democracy,
of the great crossing of humanity from tyranny to freedom.

They are here Walt and I am with them, the African father
pushing his daughter in a stroller,
she holding a sign that proclaims
she too will fight for her future, the old man singing
‘Happy Days Are Here Again’ with wit and irony,
the veterans who know only too well of betrayal,
the young girl with bright fiery hair
whose strong voice chants, “We got sold out,
banks got bailed out!” the unshaven college boy
who has slept in the park for two weeks
seizing the future with determined hands,
the middle aged lady, vibrant and experienced, rallying us
to raise our voices, the mother and daughter holding a sign
that reads –
America, Can you hear us now! All ages, all races,
all voices, songs and chants overlapping, strangers becoming comrades.

As the marchers cross the bridge
on the pedestrian walk way
we see that a radical few have veered off onto the road,
blocking the traffic, arms linked, faces resolute,
an infectious spirit fills the air,
there is no way I can not join them,
my family and I climb the rail,
with many hands reaching out to help us,
we jump down and walk with them, this is not a day
to be a pedestrian, it is a day to agitate.

Many more come clambering down and you
can feel the tension rise, the police growing in number,
the people marching, earnest, a point has to be made,
the bridge has to be taken, and then we see the barricades
before us, the crowd jamming together
as those behind us keep coming forward,
the police now closing in from both sides,
we are trapped not quite half way across the bridge,
and many are firm that they will not just leave,
some climb on dangerous girders to escape as others
call out to them to be careful, others sit and get ready
for their arrest, some are confused, not knowing that they
would come to this end, I see an older man,
the first I think to be arrested
and there is both strength and weariness on his face
as he glares at the police with fearless eyes,
and though as it turned out
we had been stopped there and would go no further,
our true momentum was not halted,
I knew we had triumphed, because we had taken action,
the people had risen, and with no violence or hatred,
we had shown our willingness
to risk and struggle for our liberty,
and while it might seem a small thing to some,
an event to go largely unnoticed, not as bloody as a battle,
or news worthy as a riot,
I knew that we had come to the Brooklyn Bridge
and given it the meaning poets had sought
to give it in their words,
we had brought the rough,
sacred spirit of democracy to the Brooklyn Bridge,
we had restored Whitman’s song to it’s very birthplace,
for he had called to us, the future,
in his song, he sings to us now,
he knew that we would be here,
he stands with us, chants with us,
and here I am on the Brooklyn Bridge
on a day as important as any day that has ever passed,
watching Walt Whitman above the bridge towers,
sounding his barbaric yawp
above us, calling down the sign of democracy,
calling us to remember, not just one amazing day,
but the task to come - Sing on – Sing on – Sing on!

Much, much more! Visit the OWS Poetry Anthology page for more. The anthology is on-going, but you can download the current PDF compilation here. Pass the word and keep Occupying!

Run - The Anarchists Are Coming

2011-11-14T07:51:00.002-06:00

We all have heroines and heroes. Mine just happen to be those who have gained my trust. People such as Howard Zinn and Utah Phillips. In my humble opinion, honesty drips off these two anarchists like honey off the comb.

I wince every time I see or hear the attacks on anarchism. With the occupations on-going, the word anarchist or anarchism will likely cross your screen numerous times - if not now, it will in the future. Inevitably the media will do their part in trying to portray anarchism as chaotic and destructive. I have an issue with that big brush - one sided - definition of an anarchist. Some of my most favorite people are anarchists, and I'm glad they are!

Can any critical thinker really say the anarchist Howard Zinn was representative of chaos and destruction? Do you feel threatened by his dissent?

Does the anarchist Utah Phillips conjure up visions of destructive behavior and physical threat in your mind? Is it possible that anyone would see Utah's anarchism as a threat?

Please do not let the media place you into their self-constructed boxes which seem to destroy humanity and its values more times than not. My personal belief is that we need more anarchists and less ideology! At least more like these two!

The Spin Model

2011-09-12T07:52:00.008-05:00

The model seeks to explain how populations are propagandized and how consent for various economic, social and political policies are "manufactured" in the public mind due to this propaganda. — Propaganda Model

Be afraid! Be very afraid of the evil that is "out there"! Our leaders will tell you who the terrorists are. We will be told of who and what to be fearful...just stay focused and avoid mirrors. There is no need for critical thought. It is already being done for you. No need to worry ourselves about all those complicated issues when we have representatives to do it for us! Choose your side - listen to the party leaders - know the evil of the other side and keep your chosen party strong! Above all else, just remember---be afraid!

I recently read a piece from Glenn Greenwald on the once again overstated damage done by WikiLeaks. The following is excerpted from Greenwald's piece entitled Orwell, 9/11, Emmanuel Goldstein and WikiLeaks

Directing all this passionate hatred toward the state's identified Enemy and their Evil Acts has an added benefit: the resulting mass contempt, by design, distracts all attention away from of the evil committed by those stirring that passion. Thus do we all stomp our feet in righteous fury over the potential, speculative harm caused by WikiLeaks while steadfastly ignoring the actual, massive death and destruction on the part of our own leaders which WikiLeaks reveals.

This is nothing more than a slightly less raucous rendition of Orwell's Emmanuel Goldstein/Two-Minute-Hate ritual. In Orwell's 1984, Goldstein is the shadowy, possibly-fictitious-but-possibly-real former Party official whose betrayals of the State, ongoing treason, and array of other incomprehensibly evil acts make him, in the lore of State propaganda, the Prime Villain, the Root of all Evil, whom Good Citizens blame for all societal evils and on whom they exclusively focus their rage.

The ultimate benefit of this ritual is it enables the citizenry to ignore their own plight and the violence and oppression of their own government (political parties use a similar process -- endless focus on marginal, hated figures in the other party -- to keep fear levels high and party loyalty strong).

We the people, with our emotions and conscience are easily duped by the concentrated efforts of those who are lacking in morality, values or conscience. These professional propagandists seek power regardless the cost to the masses. The people must recognize these power mongers and learn to recognize their Bernays style of public opinion manipulation. We either submit to be controlled by the few, and continue our stampede toward our very own Buffalo jump — or we can make a conscious decision to end the reign of this injust system and the destructive nature of the people who maintain it. At some point we must realize it is our responsibility to place the Earth's future in the hands of the people who must become its caretakers.

Talking Over Tea

2011-06-06T12:53:00.002-05:00

Visiting with the old timer this past week was a much more sustainable endeavor than spending the hot part of the day in the convection oven that passes for the current weather in North Mississippi. My way of dealing with the Southern summers includes the art of always working on the shady side, and doing the yard and garden work before 10:00 AM and after 7:00 PM. But that's just me!

The old timer and I shared a fresh glass of tea and spoke of all the trending headlines in the current news. From local to international we covered the hot spots and argued our opinions on the issues. But as usual, around the second glass of tea the conversation turned more toward the basics, and I heard myself asking him if he thought the people would ever realize the power they possessed in sheer numbers? The old man grinned and said, "Do I look like a fortune teller to you?" I laughed, and agreed that the possibility of our species surviving themselves was indeed a tough call and we should possibly consult some prominent futurists on the subject.

After discussing a few of the popular predictions with their mix of differences ranging anywhere from hopefulness to doom & gloom, the old timer had this to say. "Recognizing and reciting our many differences is easy and unending. It does not take any talent or higher intelligence to discover the chasms of our differences. Concentrating on our differences is a formula which robs the power of the people, and carries almost as much value to me as a grain of sand. It is the scarcity of common ground and the solidarity built on it's foundation which makes it the rarest social gem these days. The people should cherish, cultivate and promote these rare and valuable grounds where we find ourselves in agreement. Any hope we might have as a species will depend on us always being watchful, and always discerning...we should keep our eyes open and search for the threads that weave our power, rather than accept its unraveling."

Myths and Truths of American Health Care

2011-05-11T06:08:00.001-05:00

Americans spend $477 billion a year MORE on health care than other advanced countries. So why do we pay so much compared to other wealthy nations? This infographic is part two in a two part series which dissects the state of our health care system and presents some alarming numbers. Here is part one of the series.

Via: Medical Billing And Coding

Will You Stand

2011-03-16T07:52:00.003-05:00

When the media is democratized and as the corporate control over information wanes, we will see a new media which will shift the power of information from the hands of a few into the hands of the many. Exposing abuse and crimes within governments and corporations is now an act of heroism. Transparency is the new norm in the 21st Century, and authoritarianism and deceit will soon exist only in the 20th Century history books. You will not find this transition of power on any of the corporate/political controlled media outlets. You will find this revolution right here in the notes, videos, blogs, and alternative people powered media. You will find the masses of concerned and active people who are struggling for change in the Tweets on your screens and in the streets of your cities. Will you stand?

I will stand with you – Will you stand with me
We will be the change that we hope to see
In the name of love – in the name of peace
Will you stand, will you stand with me

When injustice raises up its fist
And fights to stop us in our tracks
We will rise and as one resist
No fear nor sorrow can turn us back

I will stand with you – Will you stand with me
We will be the change that we hope to see
In the name of love – in the name of peace
Will you stand, will you stand with me.

Thanks to Amy Carol Webb for the inspirational song Stand.

Labor Movement — Flames or Ashes

2011-03-06T11:25:00.002-06:00

I have been reading about and discussing the events unfolding in Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ohio the last few weeks. There have been scores of articles pertaining to the unrest that has sprung to life over the issue of workers rights to organize and bargain collectively. The ideas and plans surrounding which is the best strategy have been numerous and most could be listed under two main headings. On the one side we have proponents who suggest we use this awakening to strengthen the existing ties between the Democratic political machine and the AFL-CIO/CTW labor umbrella organizations. On the other side we have those who propose to use this momentum to build a grassroots all encompassing worker movement apart from the business as usual compromises we have become so accustomed to seeing from the system over the last 40 years or more.

The Democrats and their allies have told the protesters to move along and thanked them for achieving something that hasn't been seen in decades. The protesters were told they have invigorated the progressive wing of the Democratic party and they will use them actively in upcoming campaigns. Upcoming campaigns? Can there be another campaign more important to the working people than this one that is happening right now?!! Will there ever be such a high level of active participation and wakefulness as what we are witnessing right now?!! From where I sit in this totally red state of Mississippi, this is a defeatist approach to forming any kind of labor movement. By taking the power out of the people's hands and trying to incorporate this energy into the structures that have either become neutered by corporate interests or have been basically destroyed by those same interests, I am afraid the spark that has been struck in Madison will never grow into the flame the people so desperately need. Removing the tinder from the spark is not the way to build a fire.

Of all the resources I have read lately concerning the upwelling of activism, a couple of articles by Dan La Botz stood out as shining examples of what is happening, and what should be happening during this time. The first by La Botz is A New American Workers Movement Has Begun. In his article La Botz lists four points concerning labor movements which deal with the known of the past and the unknown of our future. Here are the basic five points from the article:

1) First, we know that when masses of workers go into motion, as they have now begun to do, political consciousness grows and changes rapidly. Workers who today simply fight to defend their union rights will, if they succeed in resisting the right's attempt to destroy them, go on to fight to expand not only their rights but to improve their working conditions and standard of living. Most important, workers will fight to expand their power. We are just at the beginning.

2) Second, when workers discover the strategy and tactics of their movement, those quickly spread to other groups of workers in society. When the rubber workers in Akron, Ohio discovered the sit-down strike in 1936, it quickly spread not only to the auto industry leading to the great strikes of 1937 and 38. Remarkably, the sit-down also spread to such unlikely workers as the “shop girls” of department stores. During the 1950s and early 1960s, African American civil rights activists rediscovered the power of the sit-down, transforming it into the sit-in in lunch counters, bus stations, and other private and public places across the South.

3) Third, real labour movements ignore the artificial separation between economic and political, taking up either or both as they follow the logic of the struggle. Industrial workers' struggles for higher wages in the 1930s became transformed into struggle for the employers' recognition of the unions and labour legislation granting workers the right to organize. Similarly, public employees in the 1960s fought for the right to organize unions and collective bargaining which then flowed the other way, to a fight for higher wages. What is today primarily a political fight in Wisconsin, that is to defend the right of public employees to have a labour union, bargain collectively and enjoy the right to strike, will inevitably become a struggle for better conditions, higher wages, and health and pension benefits.

4) Fourth, when a real labour movement arises, that is, a movement not merely of thousands or even tens of thousands, but of millions, it necessarily becomes transformative. Labour union officials who hesitate, who waver, or who knuckle under will soon find themselves challenged by new, younger leaders who will either force those officials to fight or push them aside. Such a movement will change the unions – often by changing the leadership first and sometimes by changing the very institutions themselves. Such was the case with the rise of the industrial workers movement in the 1930s which broke the shell of the old AFL to create the new CIO.

5) Fifth, and finally, a new American labour movement of millions will challenge the old political relationship between the unions and the Democratic Party. The unions will fight at first to force the Democratic Party to give up its own conservative budget, tax and labour policies, and failing to do that, will seek another vehicle. Unions may first attempt to change the Democrats by running union candidates in Democratic Party primaries, or they may attempt to take over the state party. Whether the new American labour movement will have the power to put forward a political alternative remains to be seen.

The other essay by Dan La Botz I would like to mention is The New American Workers Movement at the Crossroads. In this La Botz mentions how organized labor continues to use the old models of organizing power which continues to plague them and actually help the organizations become irrelevant. Compromise, regroup, and begin a new campaign. Rather than play an active role in a movement of the people, the structures are content to turn it into a political rather than social battle. Anyone who is capable of even a small amount of critical thought, knows that both parties in our duopoly suckle off the same teats. This from the essay:

Following the model they use in political campaigns, they have reached out to established organizations to build coalitions. They have sent organizers in to take charge and to reach out to communities. Their goal is to rebuild their institutional power and their relationship with the Democratic Party, hoping to turn the upsurge in support for public employees into a political victory.

History will once again record the outcome of labor during this time of America's corporate/political influenced Great Recession. Whether it will be a positive force for change in our country or just another little section in the labor history books with a couple of paragraphs of unimportant facts and some commentary about a lost opportunity, we will have to wait and see!

Organizing Collectively In The 21st Century

2011-02-28T06:07:00.006-06:00

Workers have lost trillions of dollars in income, their homes, jobs, and years of savings and retirement funds. While the banks and corporations that were the cause of the economical meltdown have used taxes from those same workers to subsidize and consolidate more power and economic control. So in answer to this atrocity, what do we see happening? We see our good people being rallied by corporate interests through astroturfing in order to redirect their anger towards the government's ability to limit corporate power and regulate the economy.

None of the criminal activity of these Wall Street and corporate cartels have ever been prosecuted. And I expect they never will as long as we allow them to continue unabated. Until the people understand who the real enemy is, we all will continue to suffer under the rule of the real elite whose complicity in crimes of nature and humanity knows no bounds. The Academy Award winning documentary Inside Job traces the rise of this rogue industry and unveils the corrosive relationships which have corrupted politics, regulation and academia.

These new attacks and stategies we are seeing in Wisconsin and other states from the corporate shills is not really new. It has been waged on collectives since the idea of organized labor first saw the light of day. And the corporations have been very successful at making unions the scapegoat. I am certainly not saying that organized labor is perfect. Not by a long shot! As many of my brothers, sisters, local and international officers can tell you, I have been a small thorn in the structure's side and I have always pushed for more socially community oriented organizations, basically social unionism.

But all the blame for organized labor structures cannot be piled solely on their shoulders. Political and corporate laws have built unions into what they are today. The business union model was by design. The labor laws were put in place to restrict the union's power and limit the size and power of people collectives. It is the laws of big business which have constricted their power and dictated what organized labor can and can not do. Unions structured themselves to accommodate the ruling class as much as the working class. Just another big concession the working people have had to make to satisfy their masters.

The free market ideology has held us hostage for far too long, and organized labor has even adapted those same beliefs. Much like labor's version of the Stockholm Syndrome. Organized labor has been playing defense forever in this market system and operating without an effective offense. And the corporate designers and negotiators have known all along they could effectively limit the power of organized labor by keeping them on the defense. By forcing unions to fight constantly just for the ground they held, the corporate interests could effectively keep them from organizing and expanding. By accepting this all mighty economic system as the only one possible, organized labor has effectively corralled itself into a defensive corner.

Concentrated power in the hands of a very small economic elite will destroy not just organized labor, but every last one of us. It is a game designed by the corporate house and the odds are always in favor of the house. The old cliché of "What is good for business is good for America" is a lie. We should be screaming "What is good for America is good for business." Not only are corporate profits financially and morally bankrupting us, they are literally killing us here in the states and around the globe. Organized labor does not need to be on the side of the corporation. We should distance ourselves from these corporate criminals and wage war against the atrocities leveled on their behalf over the entire world.

Collective bargaining can no longer be entirely about wage and benefit packages. It has to address and encompass the community and social problems that have occurred due to these entities that have broken our industries and who have created this economic armageddon. It has to address business practices that exploit the people and pollute our environment. Entire communities must have collective bargaining as a tool to organize their power as a way to fight against corruption and to better their self-interests. Now is the time for organized labor to put on it's work clothes and begin rebuilding a real social movement to fight against these embedded corporate interests.

Now is the time for organized labor to break the chains that have kept it bound, gagged, and controlled by the corporate/political model of capitalism that feeds a few and starves the many. Not since the last depression have working people needed as much help in organizing against such atrocities. Injustices which worsen as each day passes. Now is the time for organized labor to publicly ostracize all politicians who take money from those who created these dire straits in which we now find ourselves. It is time to take a moral stand and initiate an effort to remove high finance out of our political system because it has destroyed any semblance to democracy we might have once had.

Organized labor should embrace this opportunity to energetically support alternative transportation, energy and infrastructure rebuilding. It is time to work with environmental and economic groups in developing new sound and sustainable industries and community models that work for the people rather than against them. In short, it is time for organized labor to play some offense in the name of what is right and what is good for all the people. Not just in a short term focus on wage and benefit packages, but on our future as human beings on a mega-connected and quickly changing over populated world in crisis.

We must use collective bargaining for the common good, and begin connecting our unions with other groups who fight for the common good. Economic justice advocates, civil rights advocates, food safety coalitions, and financial reform groups must become part of a broader community of social justice unionism. There has never been a better opportunity to redesign organized labor into a major force for needed social change. We can either continue playing defense until the big money offense completely annihilates organized labor, or we can go on the offense and help create a better future for all of humanity. We must build our power of people from the bottom-up and fight corporate/political criminality from the top-down.

Critical Thinking Through Altered Consciousness

2011-02-04T07:17:00.002-06:00

A trusted friend mentioned that many of her friends are critical thinkers and she asked the question, "How did you learn to analyze this way?" The question itself was a little problematic for me. First, if I chose to answer the question, I felt it might be somewhat presumptuous of me to consider myself a critical thinker. Even though I would like to think of myself as having the ability of critical thought, I really do not think I am qualified to make such an assumption. Secondly, I was not sure if what I consider to be critical thought could equate to a one size fits all definition that would be accepted. I view the process of critical thinking to be a personal undertaking in analyzing myself. I can only understand the exterior of my world and all its integral parts if I have an understanding of my inner self.

Most people seem to relate the ability of critical thinking to lessons learned from family, education, or as a prerequisite of a chosen profession. I have given it much thought, and I cannot reasonably say I can attribute any ability I may have to either of these examples. The closest my Dad came to urging me to use critical thinking was when he told me, "Son, don't believe anything you read and only half of what you see." Perhaps that was enough, seeing how it has stuck with me all these years. I can't say the 30+ hours of community college instilled in me the process, although it may have helped to a certain extent in developing skills in researching, analyzing, and evaluating information. And although problem solving in the pipe trades was indeed an attribute worthy of possessing, I do not see it as being an essential building block to learning or increasing the process of critical thought.

In reply to her question I half jokingly said that the use of mind altering drugs of the late 60s were possibly the building blocks to my thought processes. After giving the question much more thought, I have concluded that my experimentation with mind altering substances were indeed my most influential teacher of critical thought during my life. It is not something that is easy to talk about, and even harder to explain. I find this subject is not one that is readily accepted in most social interactions and I am always hesitant to speak of it. I suppose the labels which mainstream society attached to these things have even left their mark in my psyche as well, and tend to cheapen the profound effect of the experience. But the truth is, those experiences in mind altering realities did change my life. They forever changed how I would relate to the world, and more importantly, in how I was to think about every single thing from that point until the present.

In the past I have tried to relay these feelings and changes I experienced in these altered states, but have found it most difficult given my limitations of language. However I am aware of many other individuals, who are much more intelligent than I, who have just as much difficulty relaying their same experiences with the altered states of consciousness. So I decided to let them tell their stories and relay their thoughts on how they were influenced by their introduction and use of these now illegal substances. Albert Hofmann is the Father of LSD, and this enlightening documentary done by Connie Littlefield is entitled "Hofmann's Potion". I hope the documentary says what I am not capable of saying, and somehow relays how this chemical alteration had so much to do with what I feel to be my awakening to the process of critical thinking.

Hofmann's Potion par Connie Littlefield, Office national du film du Canada

Does Wikileaks Really Matter?

2011-01-20T21:42:00.003-06:00

There has been another important symposium discussing and deliberating the potentially paradigm shifting phenomenon which Wikileaks has helped bring to the forefront of the world. While the majority of the mainstream continue to reinforce it's biparisan world, and the people trudge along dealing with the new austerity movement — I am thankful we do have some critical thinkers out there who understand the importance of this issue, and are at least willing to attempt to reach some kind of understanding of how these transparency and freedom of information issues and the associated cause and effect could impact our future rights, freedoms, and even the very structure of democracy.

I continually wonder if I come off sounding like the paranoid Chicken Little with all this continual information on shifting paradigms and how we should play a much more active part, or at the very least, pay closer attention! Sometimes I think I should just shut up and read, and stop coming off as some wacko alarmist. But when I do step back from the stream, this guilt builds within me and I feel as if I am not doing my part. To be honest, I no longer know if that is because I feel I am letting everybody else down or if it is because I feel I am cheating myself. Regardless, seeing as I really hate feeling guilty, I suppose I will continue to tell of our falling skies. I apologize.

The speakers of this panel include, Daniel Ellsberg, Clay Shirky, Neville Roy Singham, Peter Thiel, Jonathan Zittrain, and moderated by Paul Jay. — "A panel of leading thinkers explores WikiLeaks and its implications for access to information, security, first amendment rights, innovation, and more." Once you start the video, you can click on the Watch FULL Program at the bottom right of the embedded video. This will transport you to the main site and you can choose full program or individual chapters.

If you missed the previous symposium from Personal Democracy on the Wikileaks issues, you can find my post on the discussions here as well. It's entitled How Do We Survive the Leak

Wikileaks — Plug the Hole or Irrigate Democracy

2011-01-19T06:02:00.003-06:00

Mention Wikileaks to an average slice of the U.S. population and the feedback we get back is not as predictable as what we would hear when mentioning issues such as single payer medical care, gun control, or taxes. On most issues the ratio can be expected to be somewhere around 50/50, give or take a few percentage points, and supporters and non-supporters will fall into the yin and yang of the conservative/liberal, democrat/republican division. From the majority of that slice of people, we would not have to guess if they are for or against an issue. Most would announce emphatically what they support and why. However, when it comes to the Wikileaks issue, the dividing line is not so clear, and the deathly silence that accompanies it's mention is very noticeable.

Some of this silence is likely due to the strong steps taken by our government and corporate interests in defianace of the whistleblower style of Wikileaks. From the slice of people I have come to know on-line, only a very small number will say anything concerning Wikileaks, and the majority of those remain on the sideline waiting for some other shoe to fall. I believe the reason for this is because this higher level of transparency due to these leaks is not just one of our every day issues us voters face. There are no clear defined lines for us to choose. Wikileaks offers us an alternative world through the proverbial looking glass. The world on the other side is unknown and unpredictable and we struggle to find our footing. Wikileaks does not focus on, or make us think about issues. It forces us to think about the entire structure of our representative democracy and brings to the surface many of our suppressed feelings concerning the state of democracy and how it will survive this new thing referred to as the Information Age.

Do we really want a pseudo democracy whose foundations are built on lies, and if not, are we ready for the responsibility that accompanies a true open democracy? Or would we rather continue living the lie and remain in our comfort zone of denial? Consider the words of Slavoj Žižek:

Consider too the renewed popularity of Leo Strauss: the aspect of his political thought that is so relevant today is his elitist notion of democracy, the idea of the ‘necessary lie’.Elites should rule, aware of the actual state of things (the materialist logic of power), and feed the people fables to keep them happy in their blessed ignorance.

The only surprising thing about the WikiLeaks revelations is that they contain no surprises. Didn’t we learn exactly what we expected to learn? The real disturbance was at the level of appearances: we can no longer pretend we don’t know what everyone knows we know.

What WikiLeaks threatens is the formal functioning of power. The true targets here weren’t the dirty details and the individuals responsible for them; not those in power, in other words, so much as power itself, its structure. We shouldn’t forget that power comprises not only institutions and their rules, but also legitimate (‘normal’) ways of challenging it (an independent press, NGOs etc) – as the Indian academic Saroj Giri put it, WikiLeaks ‘challenged power by challenging the normal channels of challenging power and revealing the truth’. The aim of the WikiLeaks revelations was not just to embarrass those in power but to lead us to mobilize ourselves to bring about a different functioning of power that might reach beyond the limits of representative democracy.

These excerpts taken from an essay by Slavoj Žižek entitled, Good Manners in the Age of WikiLeaks.

Us is the Word!

2011-01-02T07:38:00.002-06:00

Through my interaction within a community far, far away, I discovered the remarkable Christine Kane and her thoughts concerning how we should stop "hoping" and start "creating". I believe I first heard of the "Word of the Year" from Christine, but for me it was Fine Line, a friend and trusted member of that community, who turned Christine's thoughts into action. Although I do not "officially" participate in the "Word of the Year" program, that does not mean I do not think it is a wonderful idea. On the contrary, anything that will empower us has my support and praise. So last year I gave some thought to this idea and decided on chosing a word for myself. To be honest it did not take much thought to come up with my word, as it seems to have somehow chosen me. Now it is "Oh Eleven" and a word has chosen me once again.

The word I have chosen for the new year is the same word I chose for 2010, and the same word that began being such a large part of my life back in 1999. It is the same word that has remained in my thoughts and in my notes ever since. That word is us, not to be confused with the abbreviation of our country. We are the key to solving many of the problems we now face. As our societies dissolve into a global pool of uncertainty, I can not emphasize enough how important we are in the equation. To quote Christine Kane, "Be Creative. Be Conscious. Be Courageous." So to kick off "Oh Eleven", I choose a hero of mine to emphasize the importance of us as the new year begins. We have a rough path ahead, and let us hope that reason will conquer ignorance, and we will come to understand the power we possess.

The idea of saviors has been built into the entire culture, beyond politics. We have learned to look to stars, leaders, experts in every field, thus surrendering our own strength, demeaning our own ability, obliterating our own selves. But from time to time, Americans reject that idea and rebel.

These rebellions, so far, have been contained. The American system is the most ingenious system of control in world history. With a country so rich in natural resources, talent, and labor power the system can afford to distribute just enough wealth to just enough people to limit discontent to a troublesome minority.

In a highly developed society, the Establishment cannot survive without the obedience and loyalty of millions of people who are given small rewards to keep the system going: the soldiers and police, teachers and ministers, administrators and social workers, technicians and production workers, doctors, lawyers, nurses, transport and communications workers, garbage men and firemen. These people-the employed, the somewhat privileged-are drawn into alliance with the elite. They become the guards of the system, buffers between the upper and lower classes. If they stop obeying, the system falls.

The Coming Revolt of the Guard by Howard Zinn

Us Now!

2010-12-28T06:59:00.003-06:00

Most of us continue to be socially fractured between certain ideological issues. We are bombarded every minute of every waking hour by the mainstream media and it's fracturing tactics. While we continue down these manufactured paths, there is a quickly growing movement of people who have risen above these ideological barriers and are actively building a collaborative world. This movement is growing exponentially and it's supporters are moving beyond our black and white, left or right world, changing the story, and building a world based on trust and a new reputation capital. Self-organizing online networked structures are now threatening to change the fabric of government forever. When we look at these collaborative projects, we quickly see they are based on transparency, self-selection, and open participation.

We tend to superficially gaze upon the river and never give much thought to the immense active system which lies below the surface. Being superficial, there is no way we can determine the integrity or health of that system. These growing collaborative approaches to social governing are spreading, and these organizations represent the lives within the system — what lies below the surface. The people choosing to participate in self-governance are rewriting the stories and they are not encumbered by social or political borders. They are moving beyond the deadly corporatized/institutionalized models of society and building a world which will be structured of, by, and for the people.

This flim shows us examples of the collaborative efforts of a fan owned soccer club, couch surfers, and even a bank where everyone is the manager. We have been bombarded with the WikiLeaks issues in 2010. I admit I have been guilty of being a participant in that bombarding. What is important is — the issue is not about Assange or WikiLeaks; those are only the surface of the river. What we do not hear about is the hundreds of thousands of people over the entire world like you and I who lie below the surface and make up the actual system. The time in our history when information was effectively locked away for only a certain chosen few is over. It's Over! So we can continue to choose to sit on the bank and ooh and ahh over the stillness or choppiness of the water's surface, or we can choose to be a living part of that river and become one of it's caretakers.

— As our bureaucratic structures argue and debate over their ideologies and dogma, it is more common to see the people doing a much better job of building a future built upon transparency, accountability, and sustainability.

Us Now from Banyak Films on Vimeo.

WikiLeaks Documentary — Freedom Fighter or High-tech Terrorist: You Decide

2010-12-25T21:18:00.002-06:00

Is it art? Revolution? Banksy or Bang For The Buck? You Decide:

Many thanks to WPB/NYC for bringing this to my attention! Outstanding!

Hedges' Empire of Illusion

2010-12-25T06:14:00.002-06:00

There is nothing I can say that will add to Chris Hedges' profound understanding of our current situation as an empire in decline. Hedges' unveiling of this corporate regime in his book, "Empire of Illusion", should be required reading in all institutions of learning. But we know that will not happen as long as corporate America is supporting an educational system built around the job market rather than critical thinking. So as autonomous individuals, it is our responsibility to seek out the truth for ourselves.

"It is time for all of us to step out of the mainstream — to give up on the democratic party which has betrayed us, and in particular betrayed the working class — and fight for what is left of our anemic democracy." — Chris Hedges

Multinational Corporations and Global Consciousness

2010-12-16T11:27:00.002-06:00

I was watching the video with Mike Prysner delivering his Winter Soldier speech back in 2008. It reminded me of the enormity of the people's enemy, the enemy of our planet — the globalized corporate rule. Prysner had this to say:

The ruling class - the billionaires who profit from human suffering, who care only about expanding their wealth and controlling the world economy - understand that their power lies only in their ability to convince us that war, oppression, and exploitation is in our interest. They understand that their wealth is dependent on their ability to convince the working class to die to control the market of another country.

Just for a reminder of what the people are up against in a fight for a more egalitarian world. Given the growth rate and power of multinational corprations, egalitarianism would appear to be a lofty goal. Of the 100 largest economies on our planet, 51 are corporations and 49 are countries. I would also submit that a majority of the political/economical ties of those 49 countries are friendly and even complicit in the planet's corporatization.

Formidable enemy I would say! I suppose it would make sense if we knew as much about corporations as possible. Anup Shah quotes from Stephen P. Robbins book in his article The Rise of Corporations:

Technically speaking, a corporation is what [Stephen P. Robbins] describes as a “social invention of the state” (Robbins: p.98). That is, a state grants a corporate charter, permitting private financial resources being used for public purposes.

Shah also refers to Linclon's 1864 letter to Colonel William Elkins voicing his concerns about the power being placed within corporations.

I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. ... corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.

Corporations only know expansion and consumption, and in their wake is death and destruction. Globalized corporations have very few strict bounds or borders. The only way I see to fight such a foe is by globalized citizenry. Just as the corporations have gone multinational, so must the people. I see the next R-evolution as one of global consciousness that seamlessly crosses between man made borders. The future R-evolutionaries will be people whose hearts and minds work in unison rather than in opposition. People who will understand the value of trust and integrity, and who will sow those seeds of solidarity on a global scale.

How Do We Survive The Leak

2010-12-12T09:59:00.004-06:00

As I watched the Personal Democracy flash conference yesterday, my concerns about the real issues involved with Wikileaks were affirmed. If possible take the time to watch the entire conference. Considering the information provided by this great panel of speakers, the 3.5 hours is a good investment or time trade. I am afraid most people do not realize the importance of this moment. This appears to be one of those moments in history when a big shift takes place, one that affects the entire world.

pdfleaks on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Lines are being drawn very quickly and it is imperative the people make some difficult but necessary decisions concerning the future of the web. Who controls the web? Who controls all our information? And who really has jurisdiction over the world web? Where/how do the people fit in on the decision making?

I listened to Zeyner Tufekci make her presentation at the symposium, and so much of what she had to say about this mirrored what I have heard so many others say. Zeyner is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She researches social impacts of technology, web theory, inequality, and social media. Here is a quote from her blog, Technosociology:

Many commentators have noted that the confidential U.S. embassy cables published by Wikileaks contain nothing that would surprise an “informed observer.” I agree and have said so as much myself. However, I think this actually is the real scandal exposed by Wikileaks: there is a fairly large circle of “insiders,” which include much of punditry and journalists, who have a fairly accurate picture of most issues, who nonetheless cooperate with, and in fact, make possible, the efforts of modern states to portray themselves as making decisions dictated by pure motives and high-minded principles rather than by power and interests. In my view, the potential impact of Wikileaks and similar efforts is not necessarily about leaking well-guarded secrets, which these were not; rather, it is about changing the audience for a particular discourse from insiders to outsiders. Rather than expose unknowns, I think it is more accurate to say that Wikileaks has collapsed the distinction between the “front” and “back stages” of the modern state, and exposed the gap between the day-to-day reality of modern statecraft and its civic front.

I also listened to Jeff Jarvis talk about us being at a huge change in society and how now even more than ever, we need a Bill of Rights in Cyberspace. Jeff firmly states that ..."the press must gather around to defend Wikileaks. Wikileaks is the press. If we do anything less, we risk a terrible precedence being set." The Cyberspace Bill of Rights Jeff has laid out is as follows:

I. We have the right to connect.
II. We have the right to speak freely.
III. We have the right to assemble and act.
IV. Information should be public by default, secret by necessity.
V. What is public is a public good.
VI. All bits are created equal.
VII. The internet shall be operated openly.

Jeff also noted on his blog prior to speaking at the symposium:

We are passing from a world organized around power-to-power transactions to one based on peer-to-peer engagement. I’ll argue that we in the press, especially, must defend Wikileaks’ right to free speech as it speaks truth to power. I’ll say that we must make transparency government’s default; we are far from that and risk moving away from that target rather than toward it.

All of the speakers made some wonderfully enlightening points and I urge each of you to watch the sysmposium...invest the time. I probably seem like the proverbial "Chicken Little", but I truly believe this is one of those hinge moments in human progress where we need everyone actively engaged in writing the story of our future. As Zeynep says in her presentation, "The democracy you save could be your own."

Lesser of Two Evils = Unacceptable

2010-11-05T08:05:00.002-05:00

Our choices in elections always seem to bring us to the same old "lesser of two evils" decisions which just continues the cycle of "damned if you do, damned if you don't". This should be unacceptable to all voters. But yet we continue to allow ourselves to be controlled by "the system." I keep hearing the same sound bites declaring how apparently some of us do not understand how the system works. Please! We do know how the system works...the system is the problem.

I keep hearing that's how our democracy works. Well apparently my definition of democracy must be a little pooched because I do not see any chance of democracy existing within an oligarchy. What are the chances that a third party will gain enough strength to balance out this two party oligarchy we have? Slim to none! So what alternatives do we have in a country whose people are so easily swayed by the media driven hype which keeps the oligarchy in power? I don't see the masses ready to hit the streets. I don't see the majority of my sisters and brothers seriously considering revolution. So what can be done.

Well, the binding "None of the Above" initiative is one way each of us can become involved on a state by state basis. It is an initiative which can begin at the grassroots level, spread from community to community, and eventually reach the floor of the state legislatures. Yes, it is a long shot. But from where I sit here in Sardis, any shot at all gives me hope and allows me the mental fortitude to continue placing one foot in front of the other.

Just what is meant by "None of the Above"? —

"A nonpartisan dedication to enacting Voter Consent laws, giving voters the ballot option to reject all candidates for an office and to call for a new election with new candidates to fill that office.

In any state with a binding "None of the Above" ballot option, the list of candidates for each office would be followed by the votable line "None of the Above; For a New Election", or something similar. If the NOTA option gets more votes than any candidate for the office, then no one is elected to the office; instead, a follow-up by-election with new candidates must be held to fill that office, until a candidate wins a plurality of votes among all other candidates including "None of the Above."

You can find out more details at Voters for None of the Above.