tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824761642575776381.post1809222704184688281..comments2023-09-12T07:18:56.733-07:00Comments on Common Plans: PROPOSAL FOR NATIONWIDE ACTION FOR MARCH 19th, 2008 (to be used in conjunction with other actions)Steve Greenfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17698572215576536242noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6824761642575776381.post-81760123414288283442007-10-19T13:22:00.000-07:002007-10-19T13:22:00.000-07:00Organization and mobilization at the grassroots le...Organization and mobilization at the grassroots level seems the only viable alternative. This is an except From The Progressive -- Gore Vidal interview by David Barsamian (August 2006 Issue):<BR/><BR/>Q: Talk about the role of the opposition party, the Democrats.<BR/><BR/>Vidal: It isn’t an opposition party. I have been saying for the last thousand years that the United States has only one party—the property party. It’s the party of big corporations, the party of money. It has two right wings; one is Democrat and the other is Republican.<BR/><BR/>Q: What can people do to energize democracy?<BR/><BR/>Vidal: The tactic would be to go after smaller offices, state by state, school board, sheriff, state legislatures. You can turn them around and that doesn’t take much of anything. Take back everything at the grassroots, starting with state legislatures. That’s what Madison always said. I’d like to see a revival of state legislatures, in which I am a true Jeffersonian.<BR/><BR/>Q: Do you see any developments on the horizon that might suggest an alternative?<BR/><BR/>Vidal: Newton’s Third Law. I hope that law is still working. American laws don’t work, but at least the laws of physics might work. And the Third Law is: There is no action without reaction. There should be a great deal of reaction to the total incompetence of this Administration. It’s going to take two or three generations to recover what we had as of twenty years ago.<BR/><BR/>End of Interview<BR/><BR/>"Multinational corporations have become the governing institutions – determining for us how our food is grown and distributed, how we heat and light our homes, what poisons we breathe, drink and eat. Giant corporations largely decide what controversies get attention, how wealth is shared and distributed, what solutions are acceptable, who gets elected to public office and how the United States treats other nations. Citizens have lost our authority over the fundamental decisions that affect our lives. We are defined as “consumers,” left to choose between paper or plastic at the grocery store. We think it is time for this to change." (from http://www.duhc.org/)<BR/><BR/>See How Democracy Unlimited of Humboldt County has challenged multinational corporations at the grassroots level -- and won. As Mr. Vidal said, and it's been expressed repeatedly by others, such as Thom Hartmann, our only hope of taking our country back is through the grassroots level. It will not happen through the federal or state level (yet). All good things start small. Adopt this as your base philosophy.Jefferson's Guardianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16950868026721859555noreply@blogger.com