A Call to Action

From the beginning of human civilization, there has been a constant struggle between the haves and the have nots.  Aristotle pointed out the tendency of oligarchs to act maliciously towards the lower classes in his Politics while Jean-Paul Marat had made similar observations during the French Revolution(s) nearly 2000 years later.  When The People are subdued into a state of hypnotic routine either by their own affluence or through propaganda, The State (controlled by the elite in nearly all historical examples) tightens its grip on its subjects/citizens - as we are witnessing at the present.

It is because of this historical fact that The People must remain vigilant in their defense of freedom and liberty.  Unfortunately, this has oftentimes led to bloody wars as was the case with the 16th century guerrilla campaign led by William the Silent.  It took eighty years for the Dutch to finally throw off the chains of Spanish rule, but by doing so, they established the first truly free nation run by The People.  As a result, Amsterdam became a cultural center offering its citizens the opportunity to worship freely and express themselves artistically.

As political philosophy evolved, so too have the tools used to balance out the power of The State.  Strikes were successful in improving factory conditions for workers during the Industrial Revolution, and demonstration and largely peaceful protests forced The State to modify laws and policies to allow suffrage both for women and African-Americans.

It is difficult to point to specific victories today.  Millions of people protested openly in March of 2003 in the lead up to the preemptive bombing and invasion of Iraq.   Some federal representatives were reporting that they received phone calls and emails in a ratio of 9:1 (or more) against the TARP plan.  A growing number of The People are becoming frustrated and have developed defeatist attitudes.  Can you blame them?  Absolutely not!  However, this is not the time for The People to fold.  If that happens, surely, our society will continue to deteriorate. 

I have created this blog as my very own soap box and venting tool.  I spend hours every day scouring the news and, still, express shock and outrage over the blatant pronouncements from the corporate media.  It is very cathartic to write about all these issues, however, that is not enough.  This blog will also be a place to converse with our fellow citizens who are aware that something is wrong.  The politically active and the cynical defeatists make up a very large portion of our society.  We may disagree on solutions, but I think we can all agree that something needs to be done.  The portion of our society who is lethargic or disinterested need to be addressed as well.  We should reach out to them now so that they will wake mentally from their slumber if and when our society takes another step in the wrong direction.

If we fail to do this, The State will continue to press on with their plans.  So, take action!  Attend protests and participate in strikes.  Post messages to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets to plant the seed in your friends' minds.  Form groups that meet regularly to discuss current events, political issues, and debate solutions.  The less centralized we are as a movement, the harder it will be for those in power to restrict our movement, speech, and ability to reach out to more of our fellow humankind.  I can not end by proclaiming we can create a better future for our progeny.  What I will say is that we NEED to continue to fight for our rights because The State will not hand them out to us.

Stay tuned for more...