Thursday, January 04, 2007
Mindbender
I’m always amazed at how difficult it is for Americans to get their minds around the fact the US Government has always been a criminal enterprise.
Short of asking people to read Howard Zinn, one simple exercise is to imagine oneself an indigenous resident of North America, and recount progress in terms of the three federal States that comprise the continent from that perspective. EuroAmericans needn’t feel defensive about this; they’re trapped inside the same system of governance that is corrupt by design.
The task before us is to dismantle the system of concentrated power in the central authorities that continue to corrode our societies. Autonomy of the people – not the government or aristocracy – is what we’re ideally about; plus it’s the only way we’re ever going to get what we need.
And showing our fellow citizens how to go about it is the only effective antidote to widespread cynicism and despair.
With all due respect, to affect meaningful social change requires prioritizing intelligence over emotion. Bush may be repulsive, but his foreign policy hasn't differed much from his predecessors in the Oval Office. The obstacle to self-government in the US is our system, no matter who holds high office. Asserting our autonomy might require greater sacrifice than most are willing to make, but it's the only way to stop the criminal enterprise masquerading as the US Government.
Short of asking people to read Howard Zinn, one simple exercise is to imagine oneself an indigenous resident of North America, and recount progress in terms of the three federal States that comprise the continent from that perspective. EuroAmericans needn’t feel defensive about this; they’re trapped inside the same system of governance that is corrupt by design.
The task before us is to dismantle the system of concentrated power in the central authorities that continue to corrode our societies. Autonomy of the people – not the government or aristocracy – is what we’re ideally about; plus it’s the only way we’re ever going to get what we need.
And showing our fellow citizens how to go about it is the only effective antidote to widespread cynicism and despair.
With all due respect, to affect meaningful social change requires prioritizing intelligence over emotion. Bush may be repulsive, but his foreign policy hasn't differed much from his predecessors in the Oval Office. The obstacle to self-government in the US is our system, no matter who holds high office. Asserting our autonomy might require greater sacrifice than most are willing to make, but it's the only way to stop the criminal enterprise masquerading as the US Government.
