10 Disruptors: People Who Really Shook Up the System in 2013

[xchrom]

http://www.alternet.org/activism/10-disruptors-2013-whom-we-should-be-grateful

***SNIP

1. Edward Snowden, chief disruptor.

There is little doubt that the chief disruptor of our system in 2013 was (and still is) Edward Snowden, whose treasure trove of memos, PowerPoints and classified documents has exposed an all-powerful technological spying machine. Working with journalists Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, and in turn journalists from many other media organizations, we now know amazing amounts of information about just how intrusive and widespread our government's spy system is.

***SNIP

2. Bill de Blasio: mayor of potential disruption.
It is very rare these days for someone with disruptive instincts and intentions to actually gain power. But Bill de Blasio's landslide victory to become mayor of New York City was one of voters' most disruptive acts in recent memory. Along with Elizabeth Warren, "Big Bill" becomes the elected official with the most potential and influence.

3. Michelle Alexander: author and speaker as disruptor.

There is nothing more infuriating and depressing in America than the "culture of mass incarceration" that has dominated the U.S. for decades. The result is a virtual gulag of people under the control of the fundamentally racist criminal justice system. Even though white people outnumber black people five to one in the U.S., and both groups use and sell drugs at similar rates, the latter make up 55 percent of those convicted for drug possession and 74 percent of those imprisoned for drug possession, according to the ACLU.

***SNIP

4. Elizabeth Warren: progressive superstar disruptor.

Progressives have a new leader and Americans a newfound hope for change, as 2013 comes to an end. Warren is a senator who has enjoyed an unusually quick rise to power, so clearly with a huge constituency, that she overnight changed the nature of debate about the future of Social Security. The fight is no longer a matter of billionaire Pete Peterson and Barack Obama pushing cutbacks to a skeptical public. Thanks in great part to Warren, we're arriving at full recognition of a giant, looming retirement crisis, in which Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid need to be improved and expanded, or many millions of our aging populace will be living in poverty for decades to come. Warren has now come out against the Keystone XL Pipeline, and she is a powerful watchdog over the excesses of the mega-banks. Her speech to the AFL-CIO convention this summer was electrifying as she forcefully told her audience that the Supreme Court is on the path to being a "wholly owned subsidiary of big business."

[Skittles]

1. these are people who never say, "That's just the way it is"

no INDEED

[xchrom]

2. ...

[DeSwiss]

3. K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

4. De Blasio? Nah. He's tracking off to the political right now.

[NC_Nurse]

5. Great article. Thanks for posting :)

A nice read to start the new year. I've been getting pretty discouraged about this country lately. It's nice to remember there are these people standing up for a better future. NC has been pretty depressing this year

[CrispyQ]

6. Kick.

Worth the time to read.

[riderinthestorm]

7. This is excellent. All of the selections are spot on. Thanks for posting K&R nt