Katrina,
Thank you for these wise & righteously angry words. I heartily agree with 99% of your comments...but re this sentence....

"Once we institute a new system of governance, all the different symptoms will disappear along with the old system."

....I wish that were so, but I don't quite believe it. Forgive me, but it sounds so utopian. I'm reminded of those old Who lyrics..."Meet the new boss...same as the old boss".
What new system will replace the old, admittedly rotten & corrupt old one? Or am I jumping the gun to ask that question now?
I have tremendous admiration for a number of people, Brad among them, who are devoting their time, energy & money to expose this system's lies & failings. I don't mean to be a nay-sayer. You are one of those people, too! I'm just ...I don't even know how to express what I feel, what I fear.
Maybe it's lack of knowledge that prevents me from believing what is possible. I don't know!

But speaking of this corrupt system at work, I wanted to pass on a couple of paragraphs from a message dated 9/27/05 from Andrea Garland (of getyouracton.com) She is a New Orleans resident who is there trying to do some good in the midst of a very frustrating & still dangerous environment.

This is her warning about people giving to the Red Cross:

"...Everywhere in D.C. we saw places collecting money for the Red Cross and so took it upon ourselves to break it to all these well intentioned individuals that sending the Red Cross money is as good as putting a match to it. Just in case you haven't caught this bit of info yet, here is what the Red Cross is doing in New Orleans: feeding the National Guard and the police and site seeing. We have not seen one Red Cross person doing one thing for any citizen of New Orleans. They do not bring us food or water (the Salvation Army has done this, tho, and we give them many kudos for being the ONLY official disaster relief doing ANYTHING in the city of New Orleans) or medical care or anything. I have only seen two Red Cross vehicles in New Orleans....
....So please, people, spread the word - DO NOT give the Red Cross your money if you really want to help. They already have millions, and I'm sure that is plenty enough to feed the National Guard..."

Re the Red Cross shelter they had been staying at:

"....We left the shelter to do relief work with the Vets for Peace while waiting to get back into the city. Before we left, we'd signed up for our Red Cross debit cards....
Jeffrey went back to the shelter to get our card.... he was stopped by a sheriff who informed him that he was not welcome on the property. Apparently someone forgot to inform us when we left that once you leave the shelter you can not return, and that if you set foot on the property you will be arrested. That's the kind of thanks you get for leaving to help take care of others. And a very nice way to keep people victims - we'd been trying to help some of the shelter residents get back home - they have FEMA checks to go pick up, but no gas money to go get the checks so they can cash them and buy gas to get home. But they aren't allowed to leave the shelter..."

And this last:

"...I urge all of my friends out there from our beautiful city to please come back, now. Life there is hard and very surreal, but your city needs you. Please come home and we will help you....Our city needs her people and the worst thing you can do is stay away..."

Read her whole message:

http://www.getyouracton.com/blog/

Sorry this post was so long; I tried to make it as brief as possible.

Stolen 2000 election!!!
Stolen 2004 election!!!
Nine-Eleven!!!
Iraq!
Afghanistan!
Terry Schiavo!
Along with everything else from A to Z.
Wonder if I might get ranked as the all-time Number One prez!
Nah! I better resume smokin and tokin!!!!!!!!!

THE WORLD CAN'T WAIT

You're right, it is up to us to do whatever we can to oppose those taking our country over a cliff. I recently learned about a national group trying to mobilize a large demonstration on Nov. 2nd to kick off a movement to drive out this corrupt regime. While I've only had little contact at this point, I know they could use some promotion for their events across the country. Sounds like they have some good ideas on what we can do, but will need a lot of help if they are to succeed in mobilizing a significant number of people to take on these crooks.

You can learn more of their objectives at their website: http://worldcantwait.org/

Best wishes, and keep up the great work.

Right. We're the "SIX OR SEVEN." The lamentable Robert Pastor is to be forever credited with giving us our name, and Brad deserves the credit for giving us our identity.

Here's a good first step, Katrina: send letters to the governments of all our creditor nations, (like China, Taiwan, Korea, India, Japan), explaining that the USA is currently being run illegitimately, and that ALL DEBTS INCURRED BY THIS CURRENT GOVERNMENT WILL BE DENIED PAYMENT, after we rid ourselves of the putsch now in power.

That ought to get some attention. And I'll be happy to sign my John Hancock.

A little grandiose I would think. There are several changes that are required (like eliminating the corporation as "person" thing) that would make the development of robber barons an impossibility and reduce the influence of $$$ in elections. But you needent create a new constitution, bill of rights etc. to achieve the desired effect.

make that "needant"

Well, you know me by now. As DR RW says, the absurdity that corporations are "persons" and have the rights and protections of U.S. citizens must be ended. It has done incalculable damage to our republic.

We must make it clear that corporations are corporations and civil government is civil government - They are not the same and our political system must take precedence over corporate self-interest. This must be institutionalized in the Constitution.

Political campaigns should be publicly funded.

The role of the news media must be acknowledged and examined, and they must be accountable to the public.

We have to do something about the judiciary. I'm not sure what - term limits? Elections? - (after we clean up the election system)

Make elections a central ritual and celebration of representative democracy. Personally, I think it should ultimately involve paper ballots and hand counting, and election day should be a civic holiday.

They next march on Washington should be an armed one.
You can't ignore a million ARMED man march.
There is no revolution without bloodshed.
You want your country back? Your'e gonna have to TAKE IT BACK!
When is it time to resort to the last resort? When it is too late?

The next march on Washington should be wearing GAS MASKS

In case there are some BB readers who are unfamiliar with the sad story of "corporate personhood" and how it has degraded United States politics and society and opened the door to loss of our republic, please just Google the term as a phrase to get lots of info or read Unequal Protection by Thom Hartmann.

A couple of good organizations, IMO, that are involved in the fight for democracy vs. corporations are: POCLAD and the Alliance for Democracy. (Although I wish AforD would do some work on its website.)

....And how can I forget...the Green Party

#10 Amen to that!

Katrina, excellent piece but throughout our 230 year history, we have had corruption. We destroyed idigenous people, gained wealth on the backs of slave labor, created monopolies, and had a class of robber barons. I believe that the founders intentions were genuine but cronyism and corruption were happening then as well as now, all thru our history. We are the new indigenous, slaves. The corporate monopolies are the robber barons of old. These are the Europeans that came here from the 'old world' looking for a new Country to conquer and own. We bought The Lie that we we lived in a Republic founded by a few good men. This Country has been been involved is so much death and destruction on a planetary scale that all I could do when I hear Bush say 'they hate us for our freeedoms' is laugh. I get sick when I learn of the atrocities commited on this planet IN MY NAME. I am ashamed to be an American and I do not believe we can take our Country back. We are a nation asleep and have been for 200 years. It is payback time for the good old USA. Indeed a coup has happened and as I have stated many times, the banner aboard the Lincoln, Mission Accomplished, had no more to do about Iraq, then his phony photo op. It meant he had successfully completed the mission of turning this country into a facsist nation and letting his supporters in on the joke. And we question, how did the jews allow themselves to be slaughtered, well, look at Americans today, the answer is staring us in the face.

#10 Amen to that!

Katrina, excellent piece but throughout our 230 year history, we have had corruption. We destroyed idigenous people, gained wealth on the backs of slave labor, created monopolies, and had a class of robber barons. I believe that the founders intentions were genuine but cronyism and corruption were happening then as well as now, all thru our history. We are the new indigenous, slaves. The corporate monopolies are the robber barons of old. These are the Europeans that came here from the 'old world' looking for a new Country to conquer and own. We bought The Lie that we we lived in a Republic founded by a few good men. This Country has been been involved is so much death and destruction on a planetary scale that all I could do when I hear Bush say 'they hate us for our freeedoms' is laugh. I get sick when I learn of the atrocities commited on this planet IN MY NAME. I am ashamed to be an American and I do not believe we can take our Country back. We are a nation asleep and have been for 200 years. It is payback time for the good old USA. Indeed a coup has happened and as I have stated many times, the banner aboard the Lincoln, Mission Accomplished, had no more to do about Iraq, then his phony photo op. It meant he had successfully completed the mission of turning this country into a facsist nation and letting his supporters in on the joke. And we question, how did the jews allow themselves to be slaughtered, well, look at Americans today, the answer is staring us in the face.

Hey, buck up guys. We've hardly begun pushing the fight and increasing the pressure and already they're scared. Yes, I do believe that. There is a palpable undercurrent of hysteria in the Washington/corporate establishment. I think they see the end - whether it's peak oil or a worldwide formation of a contra-corporate people's movement. (Look at Latin America and many places and people worldwide. It's not just us.) And they don't know what to do. This has been flatly stated by some corporate executives.

I don't want to get "boring uncle" (or brother, depending on your age) on you, but I must say in my 35 years experience in observation as well as activism, I've rarely felt as hopeful - and anxious too, no question - that opportunities - dangerous opportunities to be sure - are near at hand.

We could be in for a very rough ride, but we haven't tested our mettle, and I don't think we should give up until we have plumbed our own depths of moral strength, and we haven't done that.

I agree with David Cobb, who said something to effect (recorded somewhere on this blog today) that we are making democracy, not recovering it. We are at that point now. We have to take our roles seriously as "founders" (as Katrina says). If we need a revolution, let's do a revolution; but let's do it intelligently and for keeps.

Sorry for the double posts. My computer is acting a little upset these last few days, could it be the operator..? I post, they are erased, I submit, they don't submit, I get error messages and warning messages. Anyway, enough, of that, thanks Arry, I rather guess I am your age so can't think of you as Uncle Arry..LOL. Keep up the optimism I certainly need to hear it right now. I have none as you can see by my (double) post. I am so angry right now. I call it justifiable anger, healthy justifiable anger. And that is an okay feeling. (Another big Lie, anger is not a good emotion). Well I am off to bed, perhaps I will get to have another nightmare tonight about the state of the planet.

Merifour --- Yes, anger is essential, I think. It is just important that it is directed anger - that it finds a constructive channel. We need citizen anger more than ever right now.

Don't get me wrong. Sometimes, waves of hopelessness wash over me, too. But I think if we want to think like revolutionaries - and we must - the first essential is to rise above the the view that we have no control of the situation. The whole goal is to increase our control and eventually effect an essential change. There is no other choice, really.

Incidentally, I got David's words and meaning wrong in my previous message when I said, "I agree with David Cobb, who said something to effect (recorded somewhere on this blog today) that we are making democracy, not recovering it." (It was a long day.) I'm too lazy to find the quotation, but the meaning was something like - We are making a democracy, not saving one. Actually, there is an element of recovery, as in most revolutions. But we are beyond the point of "saving"; we are builders of democracy.

BTW --- To those who think I am using the erroneously using the term "democracy" instead of "republic" --- I don't think so. "Democracy" has been used to mean "representative democracy" for over 150 years. It's a good word and strongly denotes citizen sovereignty - what we are striving for.

PPS --- There is and will be a resurgence of more direct democracy, too. (Town hall meetings and the like.) It is part of the essential taking back of sovereignty as well as adjusting to new and exciting realities (yes, we are making reality - ha ha) of sustainability, community life, and recovering rationality, joy, and dignity.

Dear Katrina, Thank you for your thoughtful contributions, and I don't mean just the above post. I live in Prague, and I understand how totalitarianism works. The first step is to fully control all radio and television. These spawn of Satan set out to do just that many years ago, and in my opinion that is the first great wrong we must right. Of course we can't just up and occupy all the studios and broadcast facilities, may it never come to that, so what we have to do is powerfully encourage the few bold voices of reason that remain, and encourage with solidarity the emergence of a resurgent generation of "born again" journalists. We should all be proud of Brad for all he does to further this cause. As a friend of mine in Florida said recently, "He should be, like, national." Thanks again, Katrina and All! Bob

#16 Arry, yes, I rather guess we are trying to SAVE this democracy! Yes, let's create a new REALITY free of the cabal ruining our Country. (M4 trying to cheer up and focus her anger)

I think Al Gore's speech contains some good meat for our discussion, especially of the media. Television as it currently exists is death to democracy. We have to recognize it and not compromise on the media issue.

The main social problem we have to overcome, IMO, is the consciously imbued conflation of corporatism with Americanism and, strangest of all, with democracy. It is our biggest error and experience shows that it is an enemy of democracy. (Why wouldn't it be, if you think about its characteristics?) We have to recognize this first and foremost if we are to take our place as builders of a democratic and just society.

We should have learned it long before this - many early radical progressives were well aware of it. Well, sometimes it takes decades of beating over the head until something sinks in.

Education will have to play a large part in our work. For example, there is an often admirable American trait that says, "Take the bull by the horns. Get the job done." It is something we take pride in. But misdirected and not thought out, it leads to acquiescence in mass murder in foreign policy and to fascism. Remember Mussolini's remark about how the trains would run on time under his regime?

So, education will largely involve laying out the job that needs to be done.

In my community, we are talking a lot about the end of the industrial era. Many people can't really grasp the concept yet, but all indications are that it is happening and that there has been almost no preparation for it. Looking away from facts and going on as usual will only bring disaster - nationally and globally. (The Busheviks are the worst possible policy-makers to be in positions of power as they have a religious faith in the very system of greed that is deadly to our survival.) We - locally - are working on developing a community that can survive and even prosper (in the true meaning of prosperity) without the necessity of systems - such as incredibly wasteful national and international transportation systems - that funnel wealth to corporations and use up disappearing resources. We have barely begun, but we are hopeful. This community-building is necessarily something that has to happen- and is happening - worldwide.

(This project, by the way, has gotten the interest of a number of small businesses and, I am happy to report, is in no way considered a radical undertaking. Consciousness has been raised. It can be done, and the old liberal/conservative dichotomy looks pretty old and worn out and not worth much.)

So...democracy, community, justice, sustainability, emphasis on solutions to real rather than imagined problems. We (the founding fathers and mothers) have quite an agenda! If we hash this out and get to work on specifics as true brothers and sisters, we'll feel a lot better. (I know we have a big and urgent job dealing with the Busheviks, but as you said, Katrina, we have future generations to think of in the light of our own historical position.)

I think I'm talking too much. Your posting is right along the lines of what my friends and neighbors have been discussing, so words come easily! I'll shut up for awhile and let others respond to your thoughtful essay.

Got to say this, though. I said, "We should have learned it long before this - many early radical progressives were well aware of it. Well, sometimes it takes decades of beating over the head until something sinks in."

Of course, we have to include Lincoln among the wild-eyed radicals.

"We may congratulate ourselves that this cruel war is nearing its end. It has cost a vast amount of treasure and blood. . . . It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes
me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, 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. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war. God grant that my suspicions may prove groundless." ----- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
Ref: The Lincoln Encyclopedia, Archer H. Shaw (Macmillan, 1950, NY)

I believe in reincarnation. I hope a few good men/woman have come back to help us get out of this friggin mess. (Obviously the evil ones are with us again)