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news monopolies and by politicians/office holders (sometimes depending on the issue). So we don't really know how many letters and phone calls, and button-holings of politicians/office holders at events, and other forms of protest are occurring.
Secondly, I think the war profiteering corporate news monopolies' one propaganda success has been at demoralizing and disempowering the majority, who are against unjust war, and for peace, justice and fairness. People are mystified, bewildered by government lawlessness, and horrors like torture and the slaughter in Iraq, and often feel alone in their views--when in truth their views are shared by a huge majority. This condition--how easily the corporate news monopolies can get under people's skins and make them feel isolated and alone--is partly due to our corporatized, alienated culture--life ruled by the automobile, lived in shopping malls, with broken up communities and families, and bombarded with glitzy and meaningless shit on TV, and news/opinion that is shaped into fascist "talking points"--news/opinion that makes people angry, but they don't know what to do about it. They don't know how to influence things any more. Their opinions don't count--if they believe the TV (or it gets to them subliminally). And it's true--that the 5 fascist billionaire CEOs who put out all this tripe on TV/radio talks shows and in the opinion pages, the Bushites and half the Democratic Party leadership, don't give a fuck what the American people think. They are into forcing people to think their way or despair--or, in the case of the War/Corporate Democrats, they are into fooling people about what they think, and then doing the opposite of what they say. People vote, and donate to campaigns and causes, and nothing changes. And they don't really understand why their votes and their views don't matter any more.
In some ways, we are more deprived than the poorest people in the shantytowns of Caracas. At least they now have a government they can believe in, and a common cause. Many of them do not have televisions. They find things out by word of mouth, by depending on neighbors and community. In this way--by ignoring or not having access to TV, which was spewing lies and fascist propaganda during the 2002 violent military coup attempt against the Chavez government (the TV station RCTV was actively involved in the coup)--the people of Venezuela, many from the poor parts of town, spread the word about what was really happening, and poured into the streets, surrounded the presidential palace and defeated the coup by their numbers. The coup had kidnapped the elected president, Hugo Chavez, and suspended the Constitution, the National Assembly (Congress) and the courts, and had sent riotous (and murderous) rightwing mobs into the streets. This was all with the direct collusion of the corporate media. And the people, the poor and middle class who far outnumber the rightwing, reversed the coup, peacefully, by surrounding the palace, in the tens of thousands. They forced the coup plotters to restore Constitutional government and return the kidnapped Chavez unharmed. (See the DVD "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"--a remarkable documentary, available at www.axisoflogic.com.) It was the most important positive event in the modern history of South America, and perhaps the most important positive event in our hemisphere in the last four decades. Latin Americans defeated a military coup--peacefully! They restored lawful government.
Venezuela is a more concentrated situation than we have here, in this sprawling, multicultural country of ours. So I don't know that things could happen here the way they happen there. But I think the significant difference between our two peoples' is the frequent lack of community here, the success of corporate tactics of alienation and "divide and conquer," and the still maturing grass roots democracy movement here, which can get out the vote, and raise lots of money (for the bloated campaign chests--money that goes right to the corporate news monopolies, for campaign ads--alas!), but hasn't quite found the formula for national cohesion. Also, the South Americans are rather experienced at the vile and bloody tactics of fascist government, U.S. interference and U.S.-backed corporate exploitation (and disinformation). We are not. It's hard to get it through our heads that we have suffered a fascist coup, and that we are now a "banana republic."
Our fascist coup has been rather clever, and has treated the American public rather gingerly. It is a dangerous public, when aroused--dangerous to the corporate rulers, dangerous to the war profiteers--which, of course, is WHY they installed a rigged voting system. Remember Seattle '99--50,000 ordinary Americans shutting down the WTO--it was awesome! And it was the harbinger of this 70% against the war. If the American people do get organized, and find national cohesion around certain things like the war, the fascists and corporatists are very big trouble. But so far they've mostly picked on the most vulnerable groups--the poor who sign up for military service, black and other minority voters, "illegal aliens, poor workers, the elderly. They are robbing everyone, and destroying the country for everyone, but have successfully driven wedges between different groups. Notice, however, what has happened with the U.S. Attorneys--privileged white Republicans getting the shaft from dumbell 'christian' Rovebot lawyers, for having a standard of ethics. When people like that get mad, you know the junta is in trouble. And the vast majority of the country is already made, just not well-organized.
Regarding our 56% who were against the war from the beginning, and the overwhelming 70% against it now, it may be that they are not as well informed as many activists, and don't or can't get politically active themselves (remember, a lot of people have three jobs these days, and are suffering hardship unknown to them before, and a lot of demoralization), but I find their views remarkable, under the circumstances. We don't have to convince anybody of anything. We don't have to argue so much with rightwing stupidity. We just have to re-empower and RE-ENFRANCHISE people. WE are the MAJORITY! The progressive left!
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