Who are you fighting? What are you fighting for?

[Chris_Texas]

Until you know the answers, you cannot know the enemy, and until you know the enemy you cannot defeat him.

Are you fighting the Republicans? If so, no problem. Republicans are easy to defeat. So easy, in fact, that we currently hold the majority in two of our three governing bodies -- and up until a short time ago we controlled all three -- three out of three. Which begs the question: if "Republicans" were our real enemy why are we still losing the battle?

But then, what battle are we losing? Until you know what you are fighting FOR you can hardly measure success or failure, let alone identify your enemy and design tactics to achieve victory.

I see millions of soldiers in the "liberal" army who do not know. They don't know what they are fighting for, who the enemy is (or who their actual friends are). They are shooting wildly into the darkness hoping that their noise and fury will somehow magically translate itself into victory. And this, my friends, is hardly a winning strategy.

Two years ago half the nation went to the polls and they threw the Republican party out on its ass. It was a not just an election victory, it was a bloodless revolution. We seized all three branches of our government, ensuring that this time, finally, we would have justice. We won the war to end all wars!

And nothing changed.

More trillions were handed to the same billionaires who had destroyed our economy. Healthcare for all was laughed off, and in its place we were given a mandate to either buy even higher-priced insurance or get curb-stomped by the government. Iraq and Afghanistan were not ended, they were expanded. The same thing happened with Patriot, and torture, and illegal wiretaps, and lord only knows what other sick shit. Civil rights were not reinstated, they were eviscerated.

But we won! Right?

Well... kind of. We won a meaningless election. Our leaders had us charging up Hamburger Hill while the enemy burned our homes and raped the kids we left behind. This is a WAR, and until you know what you are fighting for, and who the enemy really is, you cannot win. And it gets worse. They KNOW who you are, they know what they want, and they know how to get it. And while you are busy fighting your way up that hill, spilling blood and money electing the candidates that they have picked for you, they are sitting back laughing and planning your next defeat. Know your enemy. Know your allies.

Your enemy is NOT Republicans. It is not this Walker guy. It is not Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or Glenn Beck. Nor was it George Bush. These people are employees, and raging against their insanity and injustice is like yelling at a Walmart greeter for selling goods made in China. Yell at him all you like, the CEO is just fine with that, but don't expect it to change anything. And along the same lines, let's talk for a moment about our friends -- our allies in Washington.

I am not taking the time writing this so that I can waste yours, so if you are looking for candy-coated feel good nonsense stop reading now. Still with me? Good. The guys in Washington, regardless of the letter next to their name or the seat they are assigned, are essentially all on the same team. They are there to represent one or more of the major power blocks in this country: Oil, Banking, Insurance, Medical, Chemical, Defense, Religion, etc... these groups select the candidates from both parties, and most give to both parties. They don't play favorites, they don't care. They don't even care enough about your opinion to keep this a secret.

Why should they? In every election, including the last, you fought for their employee to win. You fought and cried and spent your money to help elect people who NEVER intended to represent you. And most of you reading this, even KNOWING this now (assuming you didn't before) are going to continue doing it. Your kids and grandkids might be slaves, they might have no healthcare, they might die at thirty from filthy water and toxic food and air, they certainly won't have any rights, they will live under the ever-watching eye of the best police state 21st century technology can produce, but you will be able to pretend you did your best. You voted for the BP/Goldman/GE/McDonald Douglass/Signa candidate, not that Exxon/Chase/Lockheed/HP/Wellcare/700 club asshole with the nice hair. Good on you, I am sure your kids will thank you.

But for those of you who just cannot sit back and watch kids go hungry any longer, I would say start with this: Know your enemy and challenge the guys I mentioned above on their bullshit. Don't let them get away with it any more than you would let Glenn Beck get away with an obvious lie. Start there, and if you do nothing else do that. Until we can get the majority to understand who and what we are fighting for, and who we are fighting against, we are not going to win.

The people of Egypt won their freedom using rocks and signs, but the power behind the marches was knowledge. I believe that together we can achieve the same here.

(And if you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this!)

[Chris_Texas]

1. Bumping this once

[rgbecker]

2. I'm not buying it.

Everybody in Washington is not enemy. If you can't see the difference between the recently elected anti government republicans and the Democrats who just enacted the most comprehensive health care reform law ever you would be wise to spend more time here on DU and read up.

[bobbolink]

3. I, also, believe that knowledge is power, if people are willing to hear it and use it.

What am I fighting? I think most people here know I am fighting poverty, and that means that I am also fighting ignorance.

Who am I fighting? Most people here want me to believe that it is the RW... that they are the responsible ones, and I should be aiming everything at them.

But the sad fact is that HOMELESSNESS wouldn't exist if ALL progressive were busy fighting it!

That tragic fact means that I have to find a way to open eyes.. and that will always be resisted.

Yes, indeed... Walk. Like. An. Egyptian.