PART 1
Laying the groundwork for a new game to play
Once we come around to the notion that Democracy is under siege by what amounts to a new American Fascism, we must face the reality that this is a war. It is a war to fight now, on the battleground of ideas, and in the arena of grassroots political activism.
George Bush has mostly lied to us these last six years. But one thing he has told us is quite true. There are people out there who "hate us for our freedoms."
These people are not in caves outside of Kabul, or in mosques in Tikrit, but in boardrooms in Houston, and high rise offices in New York, and "undisclosed locations" in Wyoming, and yes, in the Oval Office of the White House itself.
These are the enemies of freedom, and they can only be successfully fought with Democracy's arsenal - our voices, our numbers, and our willingness to skillfully use the rule of law, and the tools of political activism to defend our belief in a better, brighter, world. And, with the strongest weapon of all;
the truth.
Real change will also require admission of our own culpability. We will have to admit to ourselves and to our fellow Americans that we allowed ourselves to be intimidated, to momentarily lose the strength of character necessary to safeguard our true freedoms. We may have to admit, that, for just a moment, we were willing to sacrifice some essential liberty for some temporary safety.
We will need to look to new leaders. The people that helped to dig this hole are not the people who will help us climb out of it. Speaking truth to power is never a way to make lots of friends, yet we must stop being afraid to speak the truth, the whole truth, and the ugly truth of what is happening here.
The Quislings and Chamberlains running the Democratic Party have no answers, and no plans. It's all they can do to clutch the last few remaining straws of power, influence, and privilege they possess, hoping that this whole thing will blow over.
It won't.
What can we do? First, we must regain control of the Democratic Party. We must open our arms and our party to all those who oppose totalitarianism. We must build an inclusive coalition. We need everyone from the Socialists of America to Pat Buchannan on our team. This is bigger than wedge issues and pet projects, and we need to realize it.
If we want to retain our ability to debate abortion, taxation, gay marriage, etc. tomorrow, we must join together to deal with the threat to our Democratic freedoms today.
How can we accomplish this? We start by telling America the truth, by admitting the truth of our situation and the dangers we face, and by calling this administration what it is.
We will not be welcomed with open arms at first. This much should be obvious. The enormity of what is going wrong in our country has been too large for many of us to wrap our own heads around.
We should only expect that others, particularly those who lack exposure to the truth, will react negatively to our speech. Yet we must keep telling the truth anyway. Eventually, little by little, people overcome their willing disbelief in the face of impending and compounding reality, and they join the cause.
Already we see Americans across the political spectrum recognizing the truth of who these people are, and the trouble we are in. 34% approval ratings are a testament to that. What they don't see, and what is incumbent upon us to provide, is a real and meaningful alternative.
We must recognize the inauthenticity of this Presidency. At the same time must recognize the failures and flaws of our own "Democratic" leadership, and the subsequent absence of a meaningful opposition party. We must make that party a big tent, home to people of diverse and differing viewpoints on many issues, but we must not use that claim of diversity as a gag to stifle speech, or as a cudgel to drive those on either end of the spectrum from the party. We should be many voices, and many differing opinions on many different issues, united in our belief in Democracy, Liberty, and the freedoms defended by the Constitution of the United States.
We must recognize the deeply flawed and corrupt nature of our current political system.
We must insist upon publicly funded elections, not some meaningless token campaign finance reform.
We must combat corporate influence and control of the political process. We must regain the balance of power between the rights of citizens and the influence of corporate interests.
We must ask frightening but necessary questions about the true nature of the events and actors behind the 9/11 attacks.
We must confront our mainstream media, and condemn their active complicity in the fascist corporatization of American life.
In short, we must be willing to abandon the safety of cynicism and become believers in the American dream again.