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Revolution

Hedges: We Are In A Revolutionary Moment

June 6, 2015 Elias Isquith, www.salon.com , ,
By Elias Isquith in Salon - It’s with us already, but with this caveat: it is what Gramsci calls interregnum, this period where the ideas that buttress the old ruling elite no longer hold sway, but we haven’t articulated something to take its place. That’s what that essay I quote by Alexander Berkman, “The Invisible Revolution,” talks about. He likens it to a pot that’s beginning to boil. So it’s already taking place, although it’s subterranean. And the facade of power — both the physical facade of power and the ideological facade of power — appears to remain intact. But it has less and less credibility. There are all sorts of neutral indicators that show that. Low voter turnout, the fact that Congress has an approval rating of 7 percent, that polls continually reflect a kind of pessimism about where we are going, that many of the major systems that have been set in place — especially in terms of internal security — have no popularity at all.

The Change Makers: The Other 1 Percent

May 25, 2015 Ralph Nader, www.blog.nader.org ,
Over the years, I have been astonished at how less than one percent of the citizenry, backed by the “public sentiment,” have changed our country for the better by enacting reforms to protect the people from abuses of power, discrimination and deep neglect. Specifically, if – one percent or less – were to dedicate a modest amount of their time and money working together for much-needed changes that are overwhelmingly supported by public opinion in each congressional or state legislative district, they would prevail against the government and corporate power structures. There are obstacles, such as a corporate influence over City Hall and wavering politicians who insincerely pledge support, but defer and delay action. But, if people work together, almost any problem can be solved. History shows that it only takes a dedicated few to gain the momentum from many more to enact change.

A Winning Strategy For The Left

May 20, 2015 Michael Schwartz & Kevin Young, www.jacobinmag.com , , , , , ,
Finally, this movement strategy may be more conducive to the long-term goal of promoting systemic change, since it focuses our anger and analysis on the institutions at the heart of capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and war. Winning policy reforms, after all, is not enough: reforms are by definition tenuous since they leave intact the basic institutions and systems of society. As recent history makes painfully clear, labor protections and civil rights for black people have been subject to intense counter-attack by entrenched interests. Military withdrawals have not ended imperial violence. Ultimately, only by destroying the old institutions and building more civilized ones in their place can we hope to safeguard the reform victories we win. And directly confronting the oppressive institutions that shape policy seems to advance this goal better than focusing on politicians.

Top 10 Activist Errors

May 16, 2015 David Swanson, www.davidswanson.org , ,
The number one error, engaged in by the majority of people, is failing to be an activist. The world's going to hell, countless situations can be easily improved, lives can be saved, and most people just sit there and do nothing. Others actively work to make matters worse. So, if you're working for peace and justice, you're among the tiny minority that's pretty much got the big stuff right. If constructive criticism drives you into despair, please stop reading this article right now and just continue what you're doing with your life. You have my gratitude. If you're open to hearing some suggestions, for whatever they may be worth (and yes, of course, this list of errors will exclude those that I am myself guilty and unaware of), read on. . .

Countries Around World Are Revoking Freedom Of Assembly

May 15, 2015 Willie Osterwell, www.america.aljazeera.com , , ,
On March 26, without much fanfare or attention from U.S. media, the Spanish government ended freedom of assembly. In the face of popular opposition (80 percent of Spaniards oppose it), the upper house passed the Citizens’ Security Law. Under the provision, which goes into effect on July 1, police will have the discretionary ability to hand out fines up to $650,000 to unauthorized demonstrators who protest near a transport hub or nuclear power plant. They will be allowed to issue fines of up to $30,000 for taking pictures of police during protest, failing to show police ID or just gathering in an unauthorized way near government buildings. The law doesn’t technically outlaw protest, but it’s hard to see what difference that makes in practice.

It’s Time For A New Political & Economic System

May 14, 2015 Geoff Gilbert and Gar Alperowitz, www.wagingnonviolence.org , , ,
Our society’s institutions are in crisis — with looming ecological collapse, historic concentration of capital, incarceration rates far beyond those of any other country, the diminishing civil liberties that come along with a permanent “war on terror,” and a political process bought and paid for by the rich and powerful. The Next System Project, or NSP, hopes to explain how we arrived here, provide competing visions for where we can and should go, and detail specific proposals for how we can begin to go there. The project, which launched at the start of April, begins with the premise that our long-term political and economic problems require more than policy changes that alleviate symptoms — like those proposed in the newly released liberal agenda, “Rewriting the Rules,” backed by economist Joseph Stiglitz and Sen. Elizabeth Warren — without focusing on root causes.

Venezuela’s Continuous Coup

May 6, 2015 Alfredo Lopez, www.thiscantbehappening.net , , ,
There have been several instances of arrests in Venezuela this year charging people with planning coups. The most spectacular, until last week's, was the arrest of several military leaders who were found with maps and other materials that suggest a plan to bomb several major installations and locations in the country, including the Presidential Palace. The captured materials also seemed to imply that some "transitional government" would be installed after this spasm of violence and a hoped-for eruption of confusion and chaos. Around the time of their arrests, politician Leopoldo Lopez (who is now in jail accused of fomenting riots) stated clearly that the strategy of the "La Salida" (The Exit) movement he founded is to "unseat the President through protests".

Make The Rich Panic

May 5, 2015 Chris Hedges, www.truthdig.com , , ,
We have to organize around a series of non-negotiable demands. We have to dismantle the array of mechanisms the rich use to control power. We have to destroy the ideological and legal system cemented into place to justify corporate plunder. This is called revolution. It is about ripping power away from a cabal of corporate oligarchs and returning it to the citizenry. This will happen not by appealing to corporate power but by terrifying it. And power, as we saw in Baltimore, will be terrified only when we take to the streets. There is no other way. “The rich are only defeated when running for their lives,” the historian C.L.R. James noted. And until you see the rich fleeing in panic from the halls of Congress, the temples of finance, the universities, the media conglomerates, the war industry and their exclusive gated communities and private clubs, all politics in America will be farce.

US Agenda Is To Push TPP To Split Latin American Integration

April 11, 2015 Miguel Tinker Salas and Paul Jay, www.therealnews.com , , , , ,
Well, I think the Summits at one level are symbolic. In fact, they are these groupings of individuals, of leaders, but there's now parallel People’s Summits as well that are taking place. So there's week-long activities. In terms of commerce, there's also a Business Summit that takes place on the site of the Summit of the Americas as well. So it's very important in terms of what the U.S. would like to propose for the region. After all, it's confronting China as a major competitor in the region. So the Summits became a way for U.S. interests, but now also for Cuban interests, for Venezuelan interests, to promote their own economies as well.

Is Barcelona On The Verge Of A Feminist Revolution?

April 9, 2015 Kate Shea Baird, www.roarmag.org , , ,
Something special is happening in Barcelona. At the local elections in May, the citizen platform Barcelona en Comú (Barcelona in Common) could snatch control of the city council. If it succeeds, the consequences for the women of Barcelona and, perhaps, cities all over the world, could be radical. A victory for Barcelona en Comú would catapult anti-eviction activist Ada Colauinto the mayoralty. The election of the city’s first female mayor would be a landmark event in itself, but in the case of Colau it would have special significance. After her rapid rise to national prominence in 2013, Colau turned down offers from traditional parties to stand on their tickets.

As The Country Falls Apart, It’s Time For Our Revolution

April 8, 2015 Ted Rall, www.alternet.org ,
You can feel it. Or maybe you can't. It doesn't matter whether you feel it or not. It's happening. The story of the United States of America as we know it -- not merely as the world's dominant superpower, but as a discrete political, economic, and geographic entity -- is drawing to a close due to a convergence of emerging economic, environmental, and political crises. Nothing lasts forever, empires least of all. And this one, which only began to expand in earnest circa the year 1900, doesn't feel like it has the staying power of ancient Rome. Not at all.

Protests Shut Down Austerity At Point Of Production

April 7, 2015 Jonathan Leavitt, www.truth-out.org , , ,
On March 21st, the first day of spring, Quebec students went on strike over the Liberal Couillard government’s austerity policies; those numbers swelled to over 60,000 striking students by Monday the 23rd. Approximately 140,000 total Cegep (pre-university vocational college), college and university students will hold strike votes with renewable mandates this spring. As the constituent power and momentum of the strike builds one general assembly at a time, at least 105,000 students have voted to shut it down at the point of production on April 2nd.Printemp 2015 is attempting to unite striking student unions with 400,000 public sector workers in contract negotiations in a province-wide “social strike” May 1st.

Revolutionary Perspective: Left Should Engage Elections

March 30, 2015 Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, www.blackagendareport.com , , ,
Eugene Puryear, a 29 year-old African-American activist, was the vice presidential nominee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) in the 2008 election. He recently ran for an At-Large seat in the DC Council with the D.C. Statehood Green Party. Puryear is the National Organizer of the anti-war ANSWER coalition and has helped organize large protests against the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Puryear and the ANSWER coalition were involved in the campaign to free the Jena 6. He also writes for the PSL's newspaper and journal. Puryear studied history at Howard University. During his freshman year, Puryear was interviewed by the Washington Post and designated an "activist-in-training." He discussed the importance of organizing against gentrification, racism and the US occupation of Iraq.

10 Female Revolutionaries You Didn’t Learn About

March 10, 2015 Kathleen Harris, www.whizzpast.com ,
During the Mexican Revolution, female soldiers known as soldaderas went into combat along with the men although they often faced abuse. One of the most well-known of the soldaderas was Petra Herrera, who disguised her gender and went by the name “Pedro Herrera”. As Pedro, she established her reputation by demonstrating exemplary leadership (and blowing up bridges) and was able to reveal her gender in time. She participated in the second battle of Torreón on May 30, 1914 along with about 400 other women, even being named by some as being deserving of full credit for the battle. Unfortunately, Pancho Villa was likely unwilling to give credit to a woman and did not promote her to General. In response, Petra left Villa’s forces and formed her own all-woman brigade.

From Crispus Attucks To Michael Brown: Race & Revolution

March 6, 2015 Amy Goodman, www.truthdig.com , , ,
March 5 marks an important but oft-overlooked anniversary. On a winter’s day 245 years ago, in the year 1770, an angry crowd formed in Boston, then the capital of the Province of Massachusetts Bay. People were enraged by the extortionate taxes imposed by the British Parliament. In order to quell the public furor, the British sent troops, who violently quashed dissent. On that cold day, people had had enough. Word spread after a British private beat a young man with the butt of his musket. By late day, hundreds of Bostonians gathered, jeering the small crowd of redcoat soldiers arrayed with muskets loaded. The soldiers fired into the crowd, instantly killing Crispus Attucks and two others. Attucks was a man of African and Native American ancestry, and is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution.
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