"Freedom doesn't come easily, nor can it be given. The early American revolutionaries did not rely on the efforts of others; they did not wait for a savior to rescue them from their plight. They saw the futility of holding out for the empty promises of the ruling parties in their fatherland and took matters in their own hands knowing the standards and principles on which they based their actions were worthy of the sacrifice."

This is a fairly large oversimplification and distortion of history. The US revolution would never have succeeded without massive French and Spanish aid and instigation, including troops and naval fleets. Also, it was as much about the merchant classes and slave holders dividing up the spoils of exploiting North America's riches and the triangular slave trade, as it was about a hardy bunch of yeoman farmers and woodsman taking on the evil empire of the time.

every person who recognizes the horrors being perpetrated upon the world by a diabolical system virtually unchecked, is obligated to make an effort, commensurate with the depth of their understanding, to say no to this system. in whatever way possible. direct or indirect. large or small. alone or in collective action. and it must not stop. ultimately, understanding must translate into taking personal responsibility beyond what is merely convenient or compatible with social status. it should be driven by a commitment to deliver a far better world to our children and theirs. but also to those who have borne the brunt of our transgressions. this is not to say our lives must turn grim and ascetic. but we all risk turning into ghosts of ourselves - into living dead - if we do not dedicate our intelligence, our creativity, our talents and skills, our integrity, our basic humanity toward restoring some sanity and justice to this
country. do not wait for others to act. follow the example of our illustrious leader and make unilateral decisions! preventive measures thwarting further chaos! premptive strikes against the demonic forces of corporate control! do it. you don't need permission.

The Benderman's are to be lauded for their resistance to the BushCo regime. That said; the first comment, above, is truly on target. The valted American Revolution was simply one rapacious regime overtaking another. The writers of the US Constitution knew it to be a joke; "a work in progress," as Jefferson called it. If armed rebellion worked, war would have ended a millenium or two ago. The only way we'll ever save ourselves will require "a radical revolution of values," as stated by Dr. Martin Luther King.

Indeed! Down with Manifest Insanity.

I'm not very fond of the mixture (or confusion) of pro-military and anti-state stances in this article. The founding fathers, after all, did say that all humans were born equal; not that they had to earn equality through military service... however there has never been equality in this country, from its inception until now.

Aside from the fact that the American Revolution would have been lost if it were not for the French... yea, it's easy to whine about our lack of "revolutionaries," unless, of course, you look at the facts on the ground.

Richard Clarke, Joseph Wilson, Larry Wilkerson, Michale Shurer, Russ Feingold, Robert Byrd, Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nadar, Al Gore, scores of other insiders, Colleen Rawly, Sy Hersh, Ron Suskind, antiwar.com, CODE PINK, Christians for Peace, over 7000 environmental groups, 30 million in the streets worldwide - twice, whistleblowers from every agency leaking the truth, the Downing Street Memos, a clear scream via the last election, dozens of retired Generals and assorted high-ranking military types, and the leaders of just about every single country on Earth.

Just to name a few "revolutionaries."

And where are we after seven miserable years? Worse than ever in history. So where, exactly, is the motivation to stand up and fight? And be smeared and lied about and investigated and audited and spied on and arrested and, most obvious of all, completely ignored. Most of "us" are struggling just to pay the rent and feed the kids - all of which, as "they" have shown, can be wiped away in a heartbeat. Nuns are doing time, understand? Grandmothers! Kids in Gitmo for God's sake. Bush is the guy who executed the mentally handicapped with glee, remember?

No, sorry, but this time it's way different, especially when one factors in the rise in "loyal Bushie" mercenaries who've already had their dry run in New Orleans. Did you see the RoboCops at the G8? Have you seen the LAPD "riot" squad lately? Ever take a rubber bullet in the head because you dared to hold up a "Peace" sign?

Halliburton is building detention centers around the country for "special programs." Let's call them what they are: dissenter centers. This gang has proven it will stop at nothing to retain their grip on power and wealth - including killing and wounding millions of innocents in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. How do we stand up and fight against that?

There is power in numbers.

Ken
* I support HRes333 - Impeach the VP

Frank 1569
I'll tell you how we stand up to them.....
by getting the hell out.
I am desperately trying to get enough money together to do just that....
It is too late to change the path this country is on, my friend...
It is no coincidence that the vast majority of German Jews that survived the Holocaust were the ones who made the difficult choice to leave their homeland while they still could....
I need relatively little money, and would leave now with a bus ticket and a hundred dollars were it not for my wife who is disabled and relies on my support.
I intend to relocate to Mexico and will do all that I can to assist anyone who wishes to follow me if I can just get there.......while there is still time.....
America is just one terrorist attack away from total fascism...

After Bu$h/Cheney nuke Iran and Vermont, they'll declare a national emergency and cancel democracy in favor of security, and most of the booboisie, or idiot America, will be bamboozled by the corporate networks, and the enemy combatants, that is, anyone who voices a mild protest, will be shipped off to the dissenter camps in Wyoming and South Dakota, or wherever they are building them. Like Bush said, "If you're not with us, you're with the terrorists."

Jeff Moehring, you have a valid point but before you quit your day job you had better seriously look into the cost of living in Mexico. Here in La Paz where I live a very small two bedroom home is about $100K. Yes there are much cheaper if you REALLY are able to downsize. Health care while being much cheaper is on a cash basis. You can get on Mexican social security (their version of national health insurance) only if you have no pre-existing health problems or show any physical evidence of arthritis. Food is cheap is you want to live on beans, rice and tropical fruits three meals a day otherwise it rivals the U.S.
I will admit that life is cheaper on the mainland but my point is -CHECK IT OUT before you burn your bridges there and cross the border.

Drex,
Thanks for your response.
I have actually been traveling to Mexico for a decade or so.
I agree totally with you that Mexico is not the cheap place to live many believe it to be.
The area I visit is in the Yucatan.
I am a Licensed Land Surveyor with all the necessary equipment, software etc.
Inasmuch as the area in and around the Mayan Riviera is rapidly growing I feel sure that I can find at least some work.
I have been offered work in the past whilst on vacation there and have a number of contacts established.
And surprisingly due to the lack of surveyors in that area the money is much better than here in the States, at least the area I live in.
I of course need to obtain a business license which requires depositing a fair chunk of money in a Mexican bank, and of course need a few months bankroll to get started.
But you are absolutely correct in saying that such a move would not be easy to accomplish.
I would not be planning to do so were it not for my real fear of what lies in store for this country.
But I hope that you will drop by when I get there. It will be somewhere in the vicinity of Tulum.
All the best to you

stop fighting.

work for a peaceful solution.

the cycle of violent revolution will establish yet another oppressive government, which in turn will generate another violent revolution, which will establish an oppressive government.

stop fighting.

work for peace. civil disobedience. non-violent resistance. peaceful revolution.

quite simply
place the tv on the sidewalk
for the next
garbage pickup
ken

Monica: I understand your frustration with what appears as complacency, but as Frank1569 pointed out, persons of courage and conviction are being marginalized. When the founders arrived on the shores of this magnificent continent, it was like a fresh canvas. Sure. There were deals and/or violent skirmishes with the indigenous, but the call of the new land gave rise to the most exquisite sense of new promise. America has incurred many wounds (karma against the Indigenous, various wars, our own Civil War, etc.) and in part due to the awful decision that granted PERSON status to corporations, added to the evisceration of anti-trust laws, added to NAFTA and no useful campaign finance reform, and the growth of big business (not to mention the powerful influence of the military industrial complex) the channels of legal redress have been blocked. America stands like a chessboard with all the dark pieces in all the most strategic positions on the board. Just as the colonists were aided by the French, America in many respects is in lockdown and its liberation may require more than inside action. I believe a combination of economic factors based on Bush's absolutely irresponsible & reprehensible policies, added to riveting climatic disruptions (global warming, Earth Mother voting on US as is), AND possibly an attack from a group that Bush has managed to justifiably piss off. OR as some commondreams writers have stated, that trigger could come from some covert blackwater type group so as to set the trigger that would enable Bush to claim a continued presidential term. Some have argued the population is blind, but 70% now see the light. Our leaders don't represent us, but when the highest court in the land like the congress (particularly prior to 2006) just acts as a rubber stamp to an out of control (unitary executive) presidency, it's like the US is sick with an illness none of us really knows HOW to treat. Possibly the healthy cells--those of us who are informed and are writing and thinking and protesting and not buying certain products--will form a mass, sort of like the way white blood cells sometimes overcome a dangerous disease invader. I don't know the answer... those of us with intact consciences can pray and do the right things... and HOPE.

There is a war between the rich and poor,
a war between the man and the woman.
There is a war between the ones who say there is a war
and the ones who say there isn't.
Why don't you come on back to the war, pick up your tiny burden,
why don't you come on back to the war, let's all get even,
why don't you come on back to the war, can't you hear me speaking?

There's clearly a fine line between the protest martyr with the peace sign who gets tear-gassed -- and the patriot who is fully armed and shoots back. The left has, by and large, advocated for disarming itself.

But clearly, the latter is a quick ticket to get yourself killed (abolitionist John Brown), permanently in jail, etc. Historically and in other examples it seems that it takes a tipping point, powderkeg, some sort of massive social upheaval, etc. I've oft-wondered how Stalin managed to kill so many people. Were they unarmed? Do large groups of people generally allow themselves to be killed by the million and still will not take up arms -- pitchforks, axes, whatever it takes -- and fight back?

I believe pretty strongly that most Americans are fully above-board, law-abiding and freedom-loving people. Our problems can, and must, be solved via velvet revolution. We must demand that the biggest brains, and the biggest hearts win -- not the biggest guns.

But it sure as hell ain't the martyr-complex, protesting, flag-waving, tear-gassed in the face technique. We'd better come up with something else. That's not patriotism in my estimation -- it's sadomasochism, a sort of modern equivalent of self-flagellation.

The big question isn't do we fight,should we fight it's more how the hell do we fight and effectively without a one way ticket to GITMO. Although I hear the food is good.

The world is in the process of great transformation brought about by the qualitative changes in technology. Technology today is labor replacing, cheapen the value of labor power by making the same commodity for a fraction of the cost as human labor. Whether working or not, human beings, and human life, are becoming worthless within the current system.

Some people will never find employment again, and others will be working, but still unable to meet their basic needs. They will be forced to fight back as it is their very survival that is at stake. This is the objective situation that a growing section of the U.S. population is faced with.

Within this objective context "revolutionaries" can make a difference. They first have to understand the objective situation, and then devise and implement practical, and concrete steps to influence and develop the consciousness of this growing class of workers along the path that will resolve the problems of society in the interest of humanity.

Do you believe in our freedoms and rights? Of course, say most americans. But if you really want to know whether you do or not, then ask youself whether those in Gitmo or those renditioned, deserve them too. Whether you really believe in those rights will become self evident. Either you do or you don't?

Every time I read something written by a founding "father" the clarity and wisdom is striking. It's too bad there weren't "mothers" as well, but what the Fathers gave us was truly brilliant. They really were geniuses. It's also important to realize that Paine was an English transplant, so he had seen both sides of the equation. They were worldly men and they knew the risks and the rewards.

Paine:
"It is easy to perceive that individuals by agreeing to erect forms of government, (for the better security of themselves) must give up some part of their liberty for that purpose; and it is the particular business of a Constitution to mark out how much they shall give up."

As Paine notes, and as Americans, we should insist that every single abridgement of our freedom be documented as an amendment to the Constitution, and undergo the full test of that. If we're to become slaves to oppressors, we should at least be able to read about it.

Jeff Moehring,
I sympathize greatly with your posts, but I think there's still much that can be done with our country. I wouldn't for a moment try to stop you from abandoning ship. In many ways I think we live in a sick society, where stress and sadistic torment are the norm. Every so often there is the isolated act of kind humanity, and it takes us aback. I myself want to move to Hawaii. Yes, I know they say its part of the US, but the people who live there know otherwise. On the other hand, it has several large military bases so it might be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. (But if it's a fire I'm going to die in, it's going to be a warm lava sand beach with palm trees sipping a Mai Tai, baby.) :-)
Again, I sympathize, and you have my best hopes. Move to Mexico and be happy, and let's all hope for a better world.

Peace.

As Marx said: Social character is an outgrowth of the mode of production.

The US political system is a product of a social character borne of 18th century Northeastern, independent yeoman farmers. This social character largely no longer exists.

The prevailing US social character today is a product of corporations and the military industrial complex.

Fascism is on the rise in the US, if only because it is so profitable.

I used ponder the meaning Auschwitz. I used to assume that it was about the genocide of the Jews, which, of course, it was. But was more than that. At its core Auschwitz was about Profit. Auschwitz would not have happened if not for Profit. In fact, Himmler didn't show any interest in developing Auschwitz until the German corporation AG Faben took an interest in it.

The Jews were exterminated because they were relatively wealthy. The Nazis had to kill those that they robbed.

Auschwitz represents a mindset of practical materialism taken to the extreme---rationality gone insane. The people get off the trains. Those that are too young or too old to work are exterminated. Those that can work are worked to death. After they are dead, their gold fillings are pulled from their teeth. Every bit of profit is extracted at the lowest cost. Zyclon B is used to kill them since that is the most efficient and cheapest way to kill large numbers of people. The camp receives payments from the Nazi government for each person it kills.

This mindset exists today. For example, sweat shops are organized the way they are because that is the cheapest way to extract labour value from third world workers. They don't gas the workers as in Auschwitz because that wouldn't be cost effective or make sense as there's nothing to be stolen from impoverished third world workers except their labor. When the young girls can no longer work, they're put to work in brothels in order to extract more value. If the workers were wealthy, had gold fillings in their teeth, ownership received payments for killing workers, etc., then these work camps would also be organized along the lines of Auschwitz. But they're not, so they assume a different form. Nevertheless, their logic is the logic of Auschwitz.

Auschwitz still exists....

Ipenek,
Thanks for your kind words.
I'm 52 yrs. old. Card carrying ACLU, Move-ON, letter writing, phone calling, Dean contributing, progressive Vietnam-era vet...
I am not concerned at all for my fate, to be honest.
I shall soon be flat on my back staring straight up regardless of what happens.
I am thinking of asking that a picture of Cheney's face be taped directly in front of mine in the coffin so as to lessen the sting of hell or remind me in heaven of what I just left:)).
I want to get out to establish a refuge for my kids and others should the worst come to pass. As I truly fear that it will.
I love my country and volunteered whilst still in high school for military service while the Viet Nam thingy was still on. Talk about a gullible kid, huh?
But even Nazi Germany returned to sanity.
And so will America, in time.
I just wanna prepare for the worst while hoping for the best.
Come see me in Tulum.
It's about 8 miles south of the place where they film the Corona beer commercials featuring the "two arms".
And it's just that beautiful and the people even more so.

All the best.

Oh puleeze. I'm all for history but this flag waving imagery is skewed. Quite a few of the settlers were loyal Tories distressed by rebellion and I never heard that *any* of them were fighting to give up their servants. It wasn't a class war -- if you will recall, many wanted George to be king when all the dust settled. And it seems to me many Americans still long for a king.

frank1569 said something way back near the beginning of this thread that was little noticed or commented upon. The government is having detention centers built around the country folks. It started back in about 2004 right after the invasion of Iraq started. If those dentention centers are being built to house Islamic fundamentalist terrorists, it would take thousands to fill these centers. Maybe they are being built for another reason. Those who complained about it were dismissed as conspiracy nuts. But "limited detention" was blatantly practiced by BOTH parties during their conventions to see if protesters were complascent enough to be held behind razor wire without protest. Guess what??? Protesters were corraled right into those holding pens, most going without any form of resistance, being lead in like cattle. And neither congress nor the media spoke up! I doubt the Boston and New York City police came up with this razor wire fenced-in corral idea on their own. It was probably a test for future use. National detention centers? You decide.

The progressive community is even more upset and dissatisfied with our political situation today than it was in 2004. If protests were to happen when corporate controlled candidates are elected once again, social problems continue to deteriorate, gas prices continue to rise, global warming is not acted upon, and the war-based foreign policy continues, do you think for a moment that larger protests would be tolerated in the streets of any city by our corporate controlled government?

Shut this country down this summer. The progressives in California and all the way up to Washington, just stop the flow. It has to start somewhere and will gain in popularity all across the country. Just Do It, and this summer while our National guard is occupied. I don't think the US wants another civil war, but perhaps it's better than another world war. Plan for it, save up food and other necessary things. Many people are leaving this country already, which is always an alternative.

Not only is there power in numbers, but there is also safety in numbers.

I mean even the corporate deciders have employees. Even police forces have individual members. All of these individual people make personal choices, and I put forth that if there is open, honest, & free dialogue, most individuals will make proper choices.

Listen as far as I know over 60% of the people favor impeachment of the VP (maybe even more). Lets say there is a protest and some folks get carted off. What do you think their family will do? They will find out where they are and why they are there. If the incarceration is unjust and involves many US citizens, I say there will be an outcry. There will be 1000's of "Cindy Sheehan's" all asking: Why is this happening? Who is behind this? The truth will emerge.

We have the internet. We have cell phones that can record events as they occur. The mass media cannot hide these things. Word will get out. If incarceration is done on a large scale, it will get attention and it might even be the catalyst that commences remedy.

The process has already started. Too many are already very suspicious of motives. Any plan to fabricate some sort of event to create fear will FAIL. Men and Women of honor will speak the truth.

You media hounds had best stop being facilitators of propaganda fear mongers. It is not in your interest and you might find yourselves becoming irrelevent. We have the internet and more now, and People can connect faster than ever. People are already connecting. The tide could turn in a heartbeat. Literally.

Peace,
Ken Hausle a.k.a. "buffalo ken"
* I support HRes333 - Impeach the VP
***** time is of the essence *****

What true leaders we have had in America have been slain and those who rise now understand that threat and are fearful of it. Think of the Anthrax attack on Democrats in Congress immediately after 9/11, shutting down Congress.

The fable told in the article about "rebels" seeking freedom is deflated when we understand what they enacted upon the native Americans in the taking of land, in forcing native Americans into reservations. These reservations -- or "concentration camps" were what inspired Hitler.

And, today we see that in a mere 500 years, that "rebel" gene pool has delivered destruction of our continent and probably the planet.

We are still dealing with the murderous impulses of that gene pool which will rule or ruin.

Monarchy has been superceded by corporations as a way to rule and drain wealth from natural resources and to enslave labor. Control of government has passed from "the people" to corporations/elites.

These are not our Senators nor our Representatives . . .
they are owned by the corporations.

The only way to win true freedom is by non-violent revolution.

conscience, you are absolutely right. somehow, our constitution protects our basic rights, yet nowhere does it mention the word 'corporation'. how has it come to pass that our government serves the interests of the corporation at the expense of the people?

nonviolent revolution is the key. change has to happen peacefully and willingly, otherwise, there will always be injustice and oppression.

The detention centers are "interesting", but our military & national guard are stretched so thin, and people widely dislike Bush so much that any attempt to populate them with ordinary people would beyond any doubt send the US into civil war. If anyone dangles that out there to get progressives to shut up, he should be the first one put into jail -- for discouraging full use of the First Ammendment via demoralizing propaganda. This, IMHO, is worse than the threat of a real detention center. It's possible to tear down bricks & mortar structures -- whereas fear, as a psychological condition, can feed itself.

As for the Founding Fathers, etc. I do think they've been vastly overrated. Remember that their Republic failed less than a century into the making (Civil War), the majority in 1776 couldn't even vote (slaves, women, Native Americans).

Our problem is that we're a highly reactionary country, riddled with corruption and inefficiency, and never go the extra step. It's always too little, too late from a policy perspective.

I'm glad this thread includes a discussion of the detention centers being built here. At best, they're just an excuse to funnel more money to Halliburton, or another example of the neo-cons' paranoia. At worst--well, we know what that is. And as Ken Hausle points out, that is a point very much in our favor. There is a tremendous amount of awareness in the country (and even more elsewhere) about the insanity of this administration, far more than the mass media would lead you to believe.

But still--if not just to throw Halliburton more contracts to screw up (hey, I'll bet those centers won't be escape-proof!), or just paranoia--why on earth would an American administration build them, with no explanation? and why isn't Congress demanding to know why?

I thought Monica's article was powerful and moving. I don't think she was advocating armed resistance. She was talking about the cost of real patriotism, and defining real patriotism as something that is very different from the cheap version our politicians hide behind. I thought it was about paying a cost for the protection of values one claims to believe in, and she and her husband have been paying that cost, and continue to pay it, I imagine...

A side note on a totally different topic, except as it relates to detention centers and this insane administration: I remembered again yesterday something that's been bugging me since 9/11. I'd swear that sometime in the months prior to 9/11, Rumsfeld, in an interview where he was explaining his requests for the military budget and his vision to change the military, said something as he ended the interview like, "just wait until September. You'll see." I thought it was odd at the time, and remembered it in September. Did anyone else by chance catch that?

many comments. but for a different truer take on the american revolution, read zinn's book 'a people's history of the united states'.

Cheney's blurb along with Bush saying after 9-11 that this war could last 40 years can't be found on the Internet. Cheney has said 40 years recently but Bush said it right after 9-11 and it's vanished.

The prisons were being built during the Clinton years; it's not just this administration!

I think we are doing our part by resisting infection and passing the immunity on to others. I have no doubt that the people reading this are not the problem. We may be part of the system but we are resistant to the infection taking hold and it scares us to think maybe it has and we don't know it. If you see the world holistically don't confuse other peoples pain and misjudgment for your own.

The Global Economy has gone for broke and it's not just the United States serving in it's interest; we just happen to break arms to enforce it's agenda. The agenda is for everybody to go into debt to buy into it's solution of happiness.

What is happiness? What do we want out of life?

Watch TV and learn what the Global Economy wants you buy/borrow into. Think for yourself and decide what you really need and use the money left over to free yourself and your mind by having free time.

The people who can't stand having idol time are usually the ones who can't break the spell and think original thoughts. That's exactly what needs to be done to change things; break the spell worldwide with people's understanding of the game.

We need a Global Agreement among peoples that consuming what little wild we have left will break the giving properties of the planet. The wealthy will have nothing to offer of value to labor so they will have to do the labor themselves; scary thought.

Nobody wants to live in a broken world, that's why I have hope that people are ready to listen to what WE have to say.

By the way what is our plan? What do we propose for a third party government?

It would have to reflect the reality of a simpler lifestyle for everyone and guarantee a minimum social safety net for anyone in need. How about a new deal with a jobs program for the unemployed? How about free training and education for everyone? A person should earn money for the work they do with an education; not the fact they have an education.

Where would the money come from? We would create it just like we are doing now. We need a Global Economical Adjustment. The only real asset in this world is the web of life on earth. Break that and the true value of the global stock market will be valued at "0".

frank1569:
"This gang has proven it will stop at nothing to retain their grip on power and wealth..."
If by 'this gang' you mean international class of plutocrats/oligarchs, then I am with you.

Bendermans cited Thomas Pain(e) at length and his generation was brought up on worshiping virtue (manliness in a sense to serve public good, not bestial instincts). That sense was lost already with John Adams (son of cobbler) and Hamilton (bastard from Caribbean), who advocated British triad - King, House of Lords and House of Commons, which both feared the most. As William V, Prince of Orange, told John Adams after adaption of inspired by him Federal Constitution, "Sir, you have given yourselves a king under the title of president". So, as long as meritocracy and spirit of virtue endured, the essence of American system of government was well disguised even when Honest Abe had acted as King.

But starting from plain spoken Harry, to mediocrity of Ike, corrupt Richard and delusional Ronny it was just matter of time when corrupt demagoguery Congress will combine with corrupt demagoguery Supreme Court and corrupt demagoguery press will produce corrupt demagoguery president. Is it by fluke of history that such a combustive mix coincided with corrupt demagoguery public? Not a chance, if you have wide scope than here and now.

I understand that most people participating in this forum recognize that, including more or less Bendermans. We live now in the era of Luddites and so called private sector is busy preparing nooses. This time a sheer mass of alienated workers, including white-color workers and midlevel managers is much more explosive planet wide than it was on tiny British Isles 200 years ago. We call it disgruntled middle class.

Will it restore Republic? We're witnessing for the last 40 years an attempt to stave off a revolution that started in '30s and erupted again in '60s, when Big Promises of New Deal and Four Freedoms were violated. Here I believe lays a window of opportunity. Very seldom attempts to stave off Revolution were successful. Remember efforts of King Lois XVI, Czar Nicolas II just to name a few.

So, let them try!

Returned to add some comments --
Was just reading of the situation in France with Sarkozy.
While the elite really have no national identity, wealth is a strong connector.
This movement is about world domination.
And, "America/CIA" worked for decades post WWII to overturn leftist governments everywhere -- and to keep right-wing governments in power. Imagine the strength of those liberal ideas when it took so long to overcome them - but, of course, it was also done with violence and with corruption of elections everywhere.
Malcolm X saw this immediately with the coup on JFK -- that these techniques had been brought home to us.

I've read the messages posted after mine -- quickly --
and, of course, Howard Zinn is indispensible in understanding our true history.

Of course the founders deeded this new nation to the wealthy and quickly dispensed property to them. At one time only they had the right to vote.

Their compromise with slavery enabled the Civil War from which we still don't seem to have recovered.
A lot of wealth -- massive wealth -- was built up in that period which tipped power.

And, presumably, the Civil War/Slavery led to the assassination of Lincoln and, thus, and end to the "Recovery."

I've read that in the beginning there was protest over the insufficient numbers of representatives in the USHR and if you look at England -- and I haven't checked these figures in a long time, but as I recall, they have one representative for roughtly 75,000. In America, we have one representative for a much, much larger population. Someone can probably calculate this for us quickly. The figures I'm remembering are something like 750,000 per rep?

Also -- the Senate was set up to control the people's house/USHR . . . and it takes 18 years to totally overturn the Senate. Of course, if you start now with victory, you'd still have 12 years ahead to make a total change!

The secret to control is wealth.
The dollar is an artificial instrument --
Capitalism is a "Ridiculous King-of-the-Hill System" --
it's not about competition, it's about killing the competition.

Betty Friedan commented long ago that we are using the dollar bill as a yardstick top judge the value of everything.

So what we are talking about is where the nation seemed to be in the 1930's when FDR was elected. Supposedly, he saw that capitalism couldn't stand. Regulated capitalism can succeed and that was what the New Deal was about -- but it has now been overturned. The Brettonwoods Accords have been overturned and one function was to keep capital nailed down somewhat. Today capital can fly off anywhere . . . but labor cannot.

So my fears are that this is worldwide in scope and that this fascism has never really faded out or been defeated;
and that this is coming together worldwide quite quickly.

I think the pressures of Global Warming are creating this need for speed because quite soon the public is going to wake up to what is happening to the planet. And, I don't mean that they are going to hear it on the radio or see it on TV -- they are going to be feeling it -- and totally understanding it. And then...

PSS: re Congress . . .

The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. Each state is represented in the House proportionally by its population, and is entitled to at least one representative. The total number of representatives is currently fixed at 435 by Public Law 62-5 of 1911, though Congress has the authority to change that number. Each representative serves for a two-year term and may be re-elected an unlimited number of times.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._House_of_Representatives

Current population is 302,000,000
and 435 members of the USHR

Richard Posner,

I thought I was a big dreamer, but 100 MILLION folks in just a month?

"Get Real Dood".

Even so, I think a bunch of your ideas are awesome.

Peace,
Ken
* I support HRes333 - Impeach the VP (the big D - a "dud")
** Of course, he could always REsign.....

Is there no comment, to what I have said above?

I mean 100 MIllion in a few weeks is too much just now. This could only happen in a virtually spontaneous moment of prolonged US passion, and that takes more than just talk. You know.

But even if what was said was a joke, there were still some real good ideas there.

Peace,
Ken
* I support HRes333 - Impeach the VP

"In the 1700's a group of angry patriots dared to sparked a revolution."

Well, no. A group of traitors and insurrectionists sparked a revolution. They only became patriots after the fact. If the revolution was held again today, the right wing would be firmly on the side of the crown, their rightful god-given king.

Gandhi never said that his commitment to "passive resistance" was absolute. I recall that somewhere he said something to the effect that he didn't advocate the passive resistance of a mouse to a hungry cat.

Gandhi said in respect of passive resistance that although the people have the power to crush their oppressor with violence, the people choose not to, and choose peaceful resistance instead.

It's a matter of strategy and tactics.

Here, unlike the Indian independence movement and the Civil Rights Movement, in the US there isn't the level of support necessary to make passive resistance viable. It's a case of a mouse before a hungry cat.