Altered Course...

Preface;
This was a series of responses to a facebook rant from Dec. 2008. My life was in utter dissaray, I had just started poking my conciousness out of the deepest depression I'd ever experienced. It seemed that the world was mirroring my inner feelings. (No surprise there, because that's how reality is structured... More on that in future posts) I had made some observations about the O-Man and how he was just another typical con-man politician... And a friend of mine said "Shut up, you didn't vote, yer just a nay sayer... Where are your practical solutions?" or something to that effect... And Here is what I proposed...

*NOTE
(words in '---' are not my words)

----------------------

1. America needs a high speed train systems, windmills, solar panels, sustainable energy to reduce dependency on oil (not just foreign oil, ALL OIL) and to provide more jobs. And regardless of economic growth or any of the things capitalists ensure us, are very important, these sources of energy are generally sustainable and have little to no impact on the ecosystem other than their initial construction... Granted, there will be deep ecologists and primitivists that disagree with this course of action, because constructing these technologies calls for removal of resources... But the way I see it is, it's already happening, so we must as well get in on it so we don't have to keep relying on giant corporate entities putting out shitty products every year that we mindlessly consume. We need sustainability, not consumability.

2. Functioning democracy demands honesty; policy making must be transparent to the people who are affected by said policies. This is pretty self explanatory... How are people supposed to make a proper decision if they are so confused by differing stories and biased news?

3. Fuck "lobbyists". The people in the streets are the lobbyists. Lobbying is vote buying; plain and simple. It has no place in a democracy, and especially not in a democracy that has any kind of social standards...

4. Democracy as we know it is nothing more than a symbolic gesture. Going to the polls once every four years is out of the picture; how about once every month? Once every week? How about we just all make our own decisions until the need for voting comes up... We vote on situations rather than issues. Then you can call on outside council or mediators to clear up any social qualms, rather than having an institutionalized court, justice, and law system...

5. If a politician fucks up they're out. Fuck the impeachment process; if a politician loses the public trust they should be immediately removed and a new politician should be voted in. (Ie: Blogoyavich, why wasn't he instantly removed from office? He doesn't deserve a trial! The facts are all there, he lied, cheated, and betrayed the public trust! He should be out, there's no reason to waste energy on fucks like him) If I steal a loaf of bread, they aren't gonna say 'Maybe we should think about giving this guy a trial, and then maybe get rid of him...'. Fuck no! You cheat your employers (in this case the PUBLIC) then you're out... Plain and simple.

6. Fuck war. The public hasn't fully supported a war in decades. No one benefits from it besides a minute percentage of society. War is big business... And all we're seeing now is business as usual. And the poor pay the price for the wars... Through our taxes, and more importantly through blood, sweat, and tears... (This applies to both sides of any war)

7. Get rid of the public relations industry. Let the public decide for themselves what we think about the issues. We're smart enough. Remember that saying, "Actions speak louder than words."? Well that rings true almost 100% of the time in politics... Ignore the double speak; we can see what they're up to clear as day.

8. Tell the public the truth. Our way of living isn't sustainable is causing rapidly increasing damage to the ecosystem and our psychology. Sustainability v. Profit... What do we really need? We've been removed from the way that we lived for hundreds of thousands of years... Living at odds with nature is destroying us internally and externally at an astounding rate. Look around you.

9. Gay rights. NOW. Any person with any kind of functioning moral compass will agree with this... No surprise that politicians can't get this non-issue out of the political arena... Waste of tax dollars to keep oppressing these people, and a waste of time for this to keep coming up in discussions. They are people, they want to be able to get married or whatever... Whats the big fucking deal? Fuck your religious dogma. Fuck your moral high horse. That's it. It's bigotry at it's finest.

10. Abortion rights forever. Anyone with half a brain can tell you anti-abortion laws are anti-women... Religious laws out.

'Some of those ideas are pretty good but how does one go about implementing them without voting? That's why I wrote 'practical solutions'. Think of all the people you've ever met in your life and then imagine those people caring enough to put down their bag of chips and vote every week on issues they hardly understand. I can think of two countries that practice 'direct democracy' (folk votes) and the population that shows up in droves are consistently the far right conservatives. They're organized and have a fundamental belief that the system was made for them. Not a lot of apathy in that bunch...we could learn something from how they hold camp.'

The point is that most American's think they voted for clean energy, gay rights, and an end to unpopular wars and all that stuff when they voted for Obama. But I have a sneaking suspicion that it isn't going to happen. (And now, two years later, we see this as a clear fact.) I don't know about 'practical solutions' because the way the system is set up is impractical for the people on the bottom. Even if the people were mobilized (which they were in 08' a bit more than in other recent elections) I still don't see things changing within this set up under any circumstances.

As for 'direct democracy', I could actually see it work very well in America. Sure there are the fair share of neo con scum bags, but there are just as many filthy left wingers as well. But I would say Americans are generally socially left wing when you talk to them. People just want to do what they do with out being bothered, be we have to unlearn a LOT of things.

My biggest concern is surviving the end of the oil age with out the whole continent turning into Thunderdome. (Everyone thinks, oh electric cars will come around, solar power, peace flowers free sex gah gah gah... But they don't realize POOR FOLK aren't gonna have access to that technology and there is gonna be an over lap period where oil is in extreme shortage and new technology isn't there yet) People gotta start now or it's gonna be too late.

Do like the Cubans; they are a great example of post industrial society should look like. (Granted it's not glamorous, it is sustainable) Everyone grows a garden, even from apartments. Solar panels are all over place... They don't have gas to ship all that stuff around all super conveniently, and that will be the case in the states. Just make it 2000x more extreme. We need solar power, windmills, hydro power; we just have to make that first move... Get it going.

What I'm getting at is we can change society out side of the political sense. Decrease dependence on an unsustainable market and totally change peoples perception of their place in the world. It could empower so many people so much more than voting ever could.


peace