Welcome! Welcome, One And All! Welcome. To Your Future.

[JFN1]

So we have finally arrived.

Based on the "legal" dissolution of a city government in the US, Democracy is no longer the law of the land.

We the People have placed OUR POWER of self-determination into the hands of politicians, who we then TRUST with OUR POWER, to manage responsibily on our behalf and for our benefit, and to do so within the bounds we all agreed upon when we TRUSTED THEM with OUR POWER.

That is how a Democracy is supposed to function.

However, it is now LEGAL in the United States to disassemble a city's government.

People, if you cannot see THIS IS THE LINE - then please tell me - if this is NOT the line, then what the FUCK, is?

The CONTRACT is broken.

This is NOT about MICHIGAN.

This is about ALL OF US.

Keep talking about the 2012 elections. Keep being distracted by open mics (sorry, I don't believe in "accidents" and Mr. Obama). Keep being distracted by fine political theater, like we saw in the House today, which has so many a flutter, which, in the end, signifies NOTHING. Why?

Because what happened in the House is MEANINGLESS in the face of what occurred to ALL AMERICANS in Michigan today.

I swore an oath to defend our Constitution, and I fear it is too late; there is nothing left to defend.

If you cannot see the END - the DEATH - of our Constitution - in the events in Michigan, I urge you to read up on 1930's Germany, and how the German people did NOTHING when their government was eaten from the inside by vile greedy monsters.

If you carry on tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, as if all is the same, as if it is "business as usual," and keep merely strolling along while Rome burns all around us...then all I can do is welcome you to your future...good fucking luck...

Time to stand up. Time to fight. The free ride is over. Now you have to pay for your freedom.

Or recognize you are CHOOSING to give up your freedom in favor of this fucked up, unjust, immoral SHAM.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Well said, and passionately too.

Any suggestions on how to stop this?

I mean, besides writing our congress-critters, and maybe Obama?

Recommended.

[JFN1]

2. Yes. We must STOP participating in this system.

For it is no longers OURS - it is THEIRS.

We sold it to them, a piece at a time, with complacency and laziness and apathy.

Yes, we were seduced by promises of a broken Dream. Yes, we were lulled into a food induced, shopping filled, debt-ridden, dishonest, near-coma-state of existence.

This is all true.

But these truths can no longer be used to justify moral cowardice and indecision.

Everything we do in our lives, right now, is governed - not by LAWS, not by DEMOCRACY, not by MORALS or GUIDING PRINCIPLES.

No.

Our lives are goverened exclusively by, and for, PROFIT.

[Citizen Worker]

26. Yes, get in the streets, now!

[emilyg]

3. k/r

[glinda]

4. Indeed a historic moment. What can we do? Why are they letting this happen?

[JFN1]

5. Right now, you and I are playing by "the rules."

We go to work, to school, take care of our kids, pay taxes, and for the most part, act in a law abiding way.

This is the social contract you and I have with each other, and with every other American. Without this contract, and our continual, daily decision to abide by the terms of the social contract, our society cannot survive, for it is based upon our agreement to follow the same rules.

Those to whom we have given the privilage of conducting civil affairs on our behalf, have abandoned their compliance with the contract.

Thus, to continue following the terms of the contract, when those to whom we trusted with our power are not following the terms of the social contract, is to be foolish, selfish, short sighted, and cowardly. In my opinion.

In other words, to continue playing poker with a table full of people who are cheating, is, well, stupid. So what do you do, in this circumstance?

You get out of the game, because the game you agreed to play - poker - has definite rules which all players agree to - or there is no game. How can there be?

We cannot continue to participate in a system controlled by people who feel no obligation to the social contract we have all agreed to follow.

Time to stop following the rules of the contract, and when enough of us have the courage and determination to do this, we can then begin the conversation of what to do next.

Until a majority of us agree the system is broken and thus the contract nullified, the corrupted system will continue to perpetuate, because we will continue to feed it.

And the longer we continue to feed it, the longer we continue to conduct ourselves as if all of us are still bound by the social contract which defines America, the harder it will be to free ourselves.

We are no longer citizens, you see. The events in Michigan saw to that little inconvenience today.

No.

We are now property.

[glinda]

16. Sure but be specific. I think there needs to be a movement but everyone doing it whatever it is.

I work from home sort of. My husband is retired. What do we do? I am really upset by all of this!

[Odin2005]

6. If the PTB can ignore the constitution that why can't we?

There is no Rule of Law in this country anymore. We need to quit playing nice and start doing what is right and necessary, "constitutionality" be dammed.

[MedleyMisty]

7. We need a nationwide general strike

Shut the economy down. Go out into the streets and stay there, like the Arabs. I fully expect the fascists to give the order to shoot, but I think most of the military would defect.

We've got this. We would so win, and probably with a lot less bloodshed than the Arabs. With our culture and shared myths about America, I just really don't see our police and military willingly turning on us. Not if we got out there in large enough numbers. And the entire world would be watching online.

I was imagining that today, the world watching an American revolution online. I got chills.

We just need to get out there and do it. Now. Before they learn too much from the Arab Spring. Before they get too much control over the internet. Before they get settled in, and change our culture and norms to the point where the security forces would turn on us.

[me b zola]

8. I had a real "awakening" during the tragedy of KatrinaBush*

I knew that we were dying as a nation as that tragedy, mostly man-made, unfolded. That is when I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that there were people pulling our government strings, and that we have lost control. The aftermath and how little people know about what really happened turned my blood cold. We are in real trouble. What we are seeing happen in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio are merely the "natural" progression of the disease that inflicts us.

[Cresent City Kid]

9. I saw something too

I was in the streets of New Orleans as people were being rescued a few at a time in airboats. You remember those fake store fronts in the old western movies, just the front held up by a brace with no building? That's what America looks like to me, the side view that lets you see it's just a front.

[me b zola]

10. Very good analogy

Facades. That is what they are called, the false fronts for movie scenes. Apropos of everything.

[me b zola]

11. Sovery glad that you survived, so very sorry that you had to go through that

I was glued to cable news and the pc during the entire thing. Many things happened that you may not even be aware of becuse you were in the midst of it all. The USS Baton,a ship capable of creating 100,000 gallons of potable water/day followed the storm to shore, sop. Bush* did not allow them to assist, the ship was ordered to leave. Just one of many, many things that I witnessed, that turned my blood cold.

So glad you survived, hope you and yours are well.

[Thunderstruck]

21. It's not just those states. Shit like this is going on in almost every single red state.

We can't let them succeed.

[me b zola]

28. I agree,, we can't let them succeed

The government of, by, and for the people has been being dissembled for quite a while now, since Reagan actually. They are pushing really hard now, as they did in the 1930's, they smell "victory" if they can just crush us a little harder. It's beyond insane, beyond evil, I try very hard to understand the psychology that justifies their behaviors & actions, and quite frankly i'm at a loss.

[cali]

12. Well, here in Vermont we're going heavy in the opposite direction of Michigan

does that count for anything?

[JFN1]

14. I believe it does.

And it implies two things:

1- The People who are Vermont, have the ability, based on their own knowledge, courage, and will, to lead the rest of us out of the darkness.

2- The People who are Vermont, have the responsibility, to try.

[glinda]

15. Counts for why I invoke it's name every day.

[MedleyMisty]

13. Kicking

[WillyT]

17. HUGE K & R !!!

:kick:

[Thunderstruck]

18. So who will we be fighting against? Are we talking a struggle for dominance

between the right-wing nutjobs and the left?

What's the objective? What's the goal?

Or are we talking about carry signs down some street? What?

Spell it out...

[white_wolf]

19. I hate to say this, because it is so pessimistic but I don't think elections

can save us this time. We need revolution and I'm not talking about war in the streets or secession, violence is always a last resort and especially in this case since we are talking about the nation with the largest army in the world, I mean this: 1. Mass general strikes of workers and students. Shut the whole system down at once, hell in the spirit of the newest Oscar winner(do I really need a sarcasm tag?) "Lets go Galt on these fuckers." The thing is, this must be done by the majority at once, just a few people is meaningless. 2. Mass marches and protests on Washington and every state capital demanding real change, it worked in Egypt it can work here.

[Thunderstruck]

20. Twitter and Facebook. For what you're talking about we need a date. How about...

A national general strike beginning on July 4th?

Plenty of time to get the word out. We'll just completely shut down every thing, peacefully.

My union has already expressed its support of WI and would probably be on board with all the other labor NGOs.

[white_wolf]

23. That would be a good day.

I'm just trying to figure out how to shake people out of their apathy, so few people even vote anymore and the majority of those who do vote think that will fix everything. It won't! Voting only fixes things when are a few conditions, 1. When people have real choice. We currently have a broken two party system that does not allow for any candidates that are outside of corporate control. Granted there a few who are good, but not many. If elections are to change things people need real choices. 2. When politicians aren't bribed by private money and special interests groups. Private money does not go in politics., we currently meet none of those conditions.

[snot]

31. +1; and THANKS for starting to think about practicalities! But we need more --

A general strike could begin on July 4. And end when? What exactly what would our demands be? Because no one's going to fulfill them for us if we can't even agree on what they are.

My list would include:

1. elimination of electronic voting/tabulation.
2. restoration of restrictions on consolidation of media ownership.
3. imposition of real protection for net neutrality.
4. prosecution of major criminals in government and finance, including the Bush admin. war criminals and those w/ Goldman Sachs et al. who engineered the 2008 crash. . . .

. . . for starters.

Who can we look to to carry any of these out? No one, unless/until we build a majority consensus among U.S. citizens that these reforms are needed. And I'm not sure we've got such a consensus even among DU'er's.

Believe it or not, I'm NOT saying it's hopeless. I'm just saying, we have to get to WORK.

[Cetacea]

22. The Future Fair. A fare for all and no fair to anybody.

Courtesy of the Firesign Theatre

[dana_b]

24. I'm with you

I don't know if this helps but Joseph Harris's resume with e-mail address is here:
www.michigan.gov/documents/.../Joseph_Harris_Resume_283735_7.pdf

It may not help (except maybe with my blood pressure), but I am going to voice my opinion to him.

I think that this has to be fought in the courts though. I support the ACLU as much as I can and I am hopeful that they will fight this. Taxation and no representation - illegal. Period.

[bluestate10]

25. A lot of illusions strung together, that amounts to incomprehensible bullshit.

What is the end objective? How will that objective be accomplished? A urine soaked street preacher can stand on an apple crate and yell phraseology, but if there is no path from the apple crate to the vision painted by the words, the exercise was one of public circle jerking with no happy ending. A more plausible path is to take back the direction of the nation, town by town, city by city, by taking control of local elected bodies, right wingers have focused on that very action for many years as their numbers dwindled. The right-wing's focus on local electioneering gives them more power than their numbers and ideas would earn them. Republican politicians fear their base because they know their base will kneecap them where it counts, in congressional districts and statewide elections. If a politician on the right has to be put down, the right has a farm system built at the local level to bring up their next great hope.

Meanwhile, much of the Left is still up on fucking apple crates, speeching incomprehensible bullshit. To use a modified phrase of one of the most hated men on DU, "that is fucking "insane"".

[bread_and_roses]

30. We cannot fight them on their ground

And that's what elections have become. They own the financial and information infrastructure. And they own the politicians - D as well as R. That system has failed, and even our small victories just add some seconds to our death by a thousand cuts. Look around you. They are waging war on us on every front - our resources do not stretch that far issue by issue. I don't know about your mailbox, but I get thirty e-mails a day pleading for action on one front or another. The environment. Civil Liberties. Collective bargaining. Foreign policy. Financial reform. Election reform. State pensions. Food for children. Health care.

Electing some City Council person is NOT going to alter any of that. However worthy that particular candidate is in him/her self. We have a local City Council person I'll work for this year - because she is genuinely progressive and puts herself on the line every day for it. But she's the only Politician I'll work for of my own volition (my job may require other efforts, but that's not my choice) - and not because I think she can change anything - just out of personal loyalty.

And we don't have thirty years. Read the environmental news alone to understand that.

We have to move outside that paradigm - and without violence. A general strike would be a good start. However, we need Labor for that, and I doubt our leaders are ready for that. They are still enamoured of the shiny shoes in DC.

I have little hope of anything changing - but one thing I'm sure of, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Obama was our last gasp at harnessing that system - and he failed us.

We have to do something different, if we do anything.

[JFN1]

27. Difficult, to commit, no?

You all already know how to stop this - by quitting the game.

There is no "enemy objective" - we are not fighting a person, or a group, or an army of tea baggers.

The only thing we are fighting is fear.

- Fear to commit to a path which leads away from the hellishly familiar
- Fear of losing the life we have on such a massive risk
- Fear others controlling the outcome and making things worse
- Fear of etc., etc., etc.

A general national strike is a good start. Building to it is the first task, and this begins by working with like-minded people to take the first organizational steps towards raising awareness of our intent to stop participating in their game, and why we have chosen to stop.

Discouragement will be tempting, in the beginning. The forces which have taken our country will not want us to quit their game - without us, the game is meaningless. The cowardly will point and laugh, and do all they can to support their fear - but in the end, they are followers, and will follow the crowd as it grows.

No one in America, except the stupid and cowardly, and the oligarchs and their sychophants, want what America has become.

Like you, they do nothing because there is no one leading - no one pointing the way. So it is up to us to lead ourselves - they will follow, you know they will. And the stubbon few who refuse - will not have sufficient power to sway events back toward the craziness they crave.

And seize on this knowledge - without us, the oligarchs cannot continue their game.

[BillyJack]

29. Kick - too late to recommend

[snot]

32. K'd (too late to rec.)

[MedleyMisty]

33. Another kick

And good to see other people coming to the conclusions I've come to - we need a Day of Rage on July 4th. We need to borrow from the Arabs - and I really don't see Libya in our future. Oh, they'll try. They'll try to turn the military against us. But I think the defections would come fast and furious.

We've so got this. If we can just get it started, we'll win.

Walk like an Egyptian. The people demand the removal of the corporate regime.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

34. America as we know it is over.

Either freak out and revolt or sit back, shut up and take it. Those are the only two options. I want to do the former, but apparently few are with me...
Duckie

[butterfly77]

35. Kick...