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Yeah Akunard

you thought ...

Never mind what you thought.

There's a LOT wrong with what you thought.

Whew! Thank you, and my apology to Mr. Hartmann for my wrongful suspicion. I've been banished from so many allegedly "progressive" websites, starting with Democratic Underground c. 2005, where my unforgivable sin was pointing out that -- apart from flash-in-the-pan minority rebellions (plus of course the methodically censored, species-wide 180-degree metaphysical turn nobody but pagans and Gaean ecofeminists dare acknowledge even now) -- the so-called "revolution of the '60s" never happened. I was there; I covered it for both the mainstream and alternative press; I watched it founder in an earlier variant of the same conditioned anti-intellectuality that killed Occupy plus of course successive epidemics of drugs, clinical self-obsession and -- after the murders committed by the government troops at Kent State University and the cops at Jackson State College -- just plain old everyday fear. Still, it had begun as a time of hope -- though I realize now my hopefulness died forever with Robert Kennedy, the last man who might have saved us from ourselves.

Loren Bliss ~ Not to worry Loren. That phenomenon occurs all the time. It is the just Thom's Main Server's program's way of dealing with edits. If you, or someone else, edits any post--other than the one at the end--then the edited post gets kicked to the end. As a result all subsequent posts are pushed back a number to fill the hole it left. It's just a dumb computers way of dealing with the traffic. Nothing nefarious. Nothing to worry about.

There's a third alternative, Aliceinwonderland, perfectly expounded by Robert Jensen: "When we face the painful reality that there is no hope, it is in that moment that we earn the right to hope" (see http://truth-out.org/news/item/19804-the-future-must-be-green-red-black-...). In other words -- an observation made also by Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus at the height of the French Resistance -- it is only through truly recognizing the utter hopelessness of our circumstances that we begin to evolve the situationally correct ideology, strategy and tactics of meaningful change. More to the point, and precisely as Barbara Ehrenreich asserts, it is the USian addiction to delusional positive thinking that ensures our continued subjugation. However, once we understand what is being done to us and why -- once we feel it in our hearts as well as comprehend it with our intellects -- it is at least possible we will respond accordingly.

The only thing that gives me any hope -- and that is only a very tiny hope -- is my knowledge of the Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cuban revolutions. In these countries, the proletarians and peasants were deliberately kept in a state of abysmal ignorance by their respective ruling classes. Yet each population was eventually able to rise above that particular imprisonment. The vital question therefore is whether a formerly well-educated subject people who have been deliberately reduced to such ignorance -- and who, in the course of their reduction, have embraced that ignorance as an opiate -- can be re-educated enough to recognize their enslavement and thereby begin the process of liberation. Chris Hedges and Henry Giroux look at the Soviet, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cuban examples and answer affirmatively, that even the most ignorant peasants can indeed be properly educated. I look at the example of the Southern United States, where for 149 years Christianity has stymied even the most forceful attempts at education, and I say "probably not" -- the "probably" a concession to the fact history sometimes includes seeming miraculous surprises.

But none of the writers I have cited seem to be aware that history shows there are four prerequisites to revolutionary change, whether non-violent or otherwise. These are (1)-ideology and ideological solidarity; (2)-leadership and organization; (3)-technological mastery; and (4)-the clandestine assistance of a great foreign power. No revolution in history has succeeded without each of these prerequisites in combination; even the absence of one brings about total failure. And the people of the United States are methodically denied them all. As the collapse of the Occupy Movement proves, USians are too reflexively anti-intellectual to ever allow the evolution of a functional socialist ideology; too self-obsessed to allow for the emergence of the requisite leadership and structure; too technologically ignorant to combat the effectively divine technological omnipotence of the state (what rebel, for example, could possibly know how to fly a jet fighter or operate a modern weapons system?); and too isolated (as are all revolutionary groups today) by the fact capitalism now rules the world. This means there is no nation on earth (nor will there ever be again) able to aid a revolution as for example France aided the American Revolution, Great Britain aided the Haitian Revolution, Imperial Germany aided the Russian Revolution and the Soviet Union aided the revolutions in China, Vietnam and Cuba and by its mere existence enabled the revolution in India. Though the U.S.S.R. was never the worker's paradise it claimed to be, its presentation of a clear alternative to capitalism was nevertheless -- especially after the capitalist co-optation of China -- the last flickering candle of hope for human liberty left on Planet Earth.

Quote akunard:What a shock! I thought most on this blog thought that letting the U.N. run around the Const. and tell the U.S. how to run this country was a good thing.

akunard ~ I have no idea where you got that notion. Certainly not from me.

All I said is that it was the U. N.'s job to intervene in foreign disputes and not the job of the U. S. They have no business sticking their nose in any domestic matters of any sovereign nation--with the narrow exception of the abuses of human rights.

chuckle8 ~ Got it! Thanks! I stand corrected. That was just before I joined the blog. It certainly seems odd that Thom would wait so long to bring up this topic again. From the blog intro it certainly seems like he was well aware of the dangers of the TPP back a year ago. Of course to be fair, that intro was written by Louise. Perhaps it slipped his mind due to the lack of media coverage? Nevertheless, thanks again for the heads up.

Alice, my blog, Outside Agitator's Notebook, is at lorenbliss.typepad.com. For the benefit of overseas readers who for whatever reason have difficulty accessing TypePad, there's also a less graphically sophisticated version (visually the victim of Blogger's truly wretched design capabilities) at lorenbliss-outsideagitatorsnotebook.blogspot.com. One used to be able to get the TypePad version merely by Googling my name, Loren Bliss, but as Google increasingly serves the government by imposing ever more censorship, that may not be true anymore. As to Facebook, I was ousted from there for my politics back in 2010; my sin was asking whether the economic crash was deliberately imposed by the Ruling Class to facilitate the downsizing of government, thereby furthering the replacement of national governance by zero-tolerance corporate tyranny -- precisely what we now know is happening. In any case, thank you for your interest; I have been taking a semi-vacation from OAN since Hallowe'en, mostly to work on other projects, but will resume my weekly essays soon, probably this Sunday (the 17th), or if not by then, for sure no later than Sunday the 24th. Meanwhile you might enjoy some of the material -- especially the photographs -- I've been publishing on OAN over the past months. (Yes, I very much appreciate your posts too, Alice, also DeAnneMarc's, so I certainly will continue visiting here.) Again thanks.

Loren Bliss ~ This time I can't disagree with anything you said. Your assumption that I was speaking quantitatively instead of qualitatively is absolutely correct. Your statement that the quality of education today for the masses is far below the past is also irrefutable.

However, I still stand by my statement that Campaign Finance Reform is a potential viable solution. Maybe not today. Maybe not legally. Certainly not easily and without popular support. In fact, how such a scenario might play out I haven't got a clue. All I know is that it is something that needs to be done and something we can do. We have to do something; and, jumping to the conclusion of a Revolution without earning the support of the multitude and the world is a no win plan. If nothing else, rallying around Campaign Finance Reform might create that unifying support that can make that difference. It may not even be and ends in itself; but, it certainly is a means to an ends. Unfortunately, like Alice lamented, any such serious efforts will probably have to wait till our fellow citizens are pushed much harder and in much greater despair. Fortunately our present day technology--the Internet in particular--might help fill the gap in education that you described if the masses ever find the inspiration to use it. There is little excuse there. The information is readily available for anyone who wishes to find it. I still believe that in our struggle ignorance and poor education is not as big as an obstacle as apathy and alienation. However, I must admit they do go hand in hand.

Whatever you plan to do for the cause you certainly have my blessings. To do anything at all for the greater good is far more than the average citizen does--and for that we are all grateful. Please also accept my personal gratitude for an excellent discussion. I can say without hesitation that I come away having been enriched by your wisdom. I certainly hope you can find the time to share your wisdom with us on a regular basis. Your insight is something we always look forward to.

This generation has already accepted a full range of policies without having adequate information, basing their opinions on misinformation campaigns and sound bites. One significant example is welfare "reform." We haven't even begun to talk about the consequences, perhaps especially of mandatory (super cheap) workfare replacement labor, which has been helping to phase out the middle class while suppressing wages overall.

Aliceinwonderland ~ I believe Loren's site was this:

http://lorenbliss.typepad.com/

Loren, I can't disagree with what you say about the dumbing down of our population, depressing though it is. Some years back I got a glimpse at what eighth graders were supposed to have learned, maybe around the last turn of the century (t's been literally years, so unfortunately I can't remember the source). "Breathtaking" is the word for it. What an eye opener. You're not exaggerating when you point out how eighth graders of yesteryear knew more about the basics principles & ideology our government was founded on than today's college grads. It really is tragic.

Like you, I'm afraid things are gonna get much worse before they get better. Nothing short of despair is gonna motivate our fellow Americans to get up off the friggin' couch, throw out the boob tube and get active. All the power we have anymore is in our numbers.

Could you turn me onto your website address again? (Or was it a Facebook page?) It's been many months since I visited it, but when I did, I really enjoyed it. And I hope we continue to see your posts here from time to time, because you contribute a unique perspective to this dialogue. It's depressing as hell but still refreshing, in a strange sort of way - Aliceinwonderland