There has been an unprecedented transfer and consolidation of wealth and power to the already wealthy and powerful. We've witnessed this regressive trend which accelerated rapidly in the Reagan years, and again during the Bush I and II era supported by a re-engaged team of recycled Reaganite extremists (who said neocons don't recycle?). Despite this trend and its result (from a national surplus to record deficit and Bush's perpetual, barbaric, illegal unilateral wars, larger numbers of America living in abject poverty while yacht sales flourish) I remain optimistic about the potential of a new progressive path for America. There is a rising wave of spirit embodied in many of my activist friends, peers, mentors and heroes. It is a spirit born of these difficult times.
Several years back (and a lifetime ago) I was deeply involved in applying technology to very large databases to achieve fast responses for database transactions. One technology that was compelling to Larry Ellison (so compelling he bought the company) during my tenure at Oracle was a class of computer which used an innovative design known as "Massively Parallel Processing".
One such machine, the nCUBE was of particular interest to Larry, it used many Intel processors (similar to processors in many of our desktop and laptops), except instead of one, it could use 100's (and I'm told in present form can use over 64,000 processors). If I haven't totally bored you yet, as I was beginning to find socio-economic and environmental issues far more compelling than bits and bytes I observed something very interesting about the liberal landscape; total chaos and anarchy. Environmentalists were very passionate about, well the environment. Peace activists work together toward a peaceful, safe world. Animal rights activists were, well... you get it. People were generally narrowly committed to their own issues ignoring the fact that there are inextricable links between promoting a liberal agenda and all of the issues that generally fall into a liberal perspective. For example, supporting a political landscape (Congress, Executive Branch) that leans left creates an environment where it is much easier to pass laws that protect the environment and creates real security for Americans and the world through diplomacy. Nevertheless the progressive community was divided and conquered by a handful of powerful extremists and while slowly recovering, it will take many years to undo the damage that has been done in terms of tax policy, the environment, education, media consolidation, the judicial system and of course we will never be able to undo the death and destruction that this extremist sect continues to bring upon our own sons and daughters and those of other countries they unilaterally and illegally attack in their own private "War on Terror".
The progressive community is comprised of diverse, caring, issue-focused, passionate and free-thinking people. Such a group generally has no affinity for a centralized lockstep totalitarian model (it may explain why I get along so well with my Libertarian friends). We generally want to create something ideal and will invest time in order to ensure that everyone has been heard and that negotiation and compromise has led to something owned by the entire community. It is a painstaking process that is frustrating and causes many to disengage because the needs of many of the communities that we serve are real and urgent. The patient process is counter to what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. described as the "Fierce Urgency of Now" in his inspiring "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963, over 40 years ago. While the progressive liberal community continued to evolve and gain momentum through spiritual, cultural and political leadership, a brilliant mind contributed a stunning document that set in motion the beginnings of the acceleration and consolidation of power by the Reaganite extremists. Lewis Powell privately wrote "Attack on the American Free Enterprise System", which detailed the infrastructure that was necessary to erode a progressive vision and future for America, and instead would lead us toward a country run by corporate and wealthy elite interests.
During the Reagan era and rise of the neoconservative, or more correctly, fascist political leadership a centralized infrastructure was born. We see it today as it has reached a level of efficiency and maturity such that Tony Snow can utter a catch phrase like "Cut and Run". The catch phrase is formed and framed and within 12 hours it is all over Fox News, CNN and the other so-called news channels. This centralized structure is equivalent to the mainframe computer technology that was prevalent early in my career, prior to the introduction of the PC and the UNIX computer operating system (which eventually led to LINUX).
I have appreciation for the brilliance of the Powell memo, and the implementation of the plan that has transferred control of America out of the grasp of its people and into entities such as Halliburton, ExxonMobil, Chevron, General Motors, Wal*Mart and other massive corporations. I don't care for the result however I admire its cunning, how else do you explain so many caring people in the American community voting against their own interest, and that of their neighbors and communities? They managed to create support for a plan which is framed as "Compassionate Conservatism", but is really "Lets make the rich richer".
There are far more people in America that want similar things for themselves, their families, their communities and neighborhoods. Regardless of Red or Blue, people want similar things. Imagine the following survey:
- If you voted in 2004, did you vote for A. Bush, B. Kerry, C.. Other
- Tap Drinking Water should be A. Polluted, B. Safe and Good Tasting
- Schools should be A. More violent, B. Safe with excellent, well-paid teachers and small class sizes
- Forests should be A. Clear-cut, each tree is a little profit waiting to happen, B. pristine places where we can take our children and grandchildren to immerse ourselves in the wonder of nature.
- Companies that produce emissions should A. not worry about spewing pollutants into the air, B. Companies should minimize or eliminate pollutants released into our air.
- A River or stream is: A. a perfect transport system for getting harmful chemicals away from a manufacturing plant and into the ocean. B. A great place for a nearby picnic.
Okay, you get my point. Regardless of how anyone answered survey question 1., with the exception of Lee Raymond and Dick Cheney how many 'A' votes would we collect?
The lesson is that we have been strategically divided and polarized. The collusion between government and corporations which has been called "Corpocracy", (a term I am leasing from author, activist, and all around great man- Professor Charlie Derber at Boston College) continues to keep society filled with fear, distrust and anxiety. The extreme faction want us distracted and anesthetized by television, sports and fashionable consumption. They divide us fear, by race, by religion, by issues such as gay marriage and abortion. Why do they go to such lengths to keep us apart? It is because of a fear that transcends the manufactured fear and isolation they have created for us. It is grounded in something very real and it is predicated on us working cooperatively. We have an opportunity to form what is analogous to a massively parallel architecture. It means that we all continue to focus on the issues that are compelling for us. But when we work very subtly together as individuals and as organizations there is vast power and the extremists know it.
The progressive technology infrastructure is emerging, led by open source efforts such as those at CivicSpace Labs and it will facilitate open, transparent, participatory highly-distributed government and civic engagement. Economic models that drive commerce such as alonovo.com, knowmore.org and CoopAmerica.org geared to connecting corporate behavior to the profit motive. Socially responsible investment entities that connect capital to companies that treat their workers well, reduce their environmental footprint, conserve resources and leave politics to voters and not lobbyists. Communities coming together to bridge divides such as race, religion and class.
We are on the verge of some badly needed technology and infrastructure to allow us to engage with one another in a very powerful yet simple way. And unlike the centralized, mainframe "here is the message, everybody lockstep", the new landscape is ideal to lead a people-centric progressive agenda. It is a decentralized, massively parallel infrastructure where everyone can engage around the issues that are important to them, while we all devote a small bit of effort to furthering the agenda in most of its entirety.
So while I cringe to think of the damage still possible as the Bush extremists complete their term, I look forward to the future with a degree of hope and optimism. We must all work loosely together, break down the divides that have strategically segmented and isolated so we may begin a new era of community and unity. Our generation working together can finally realize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream for the sake of all of our children and for generations yet to come.
About the Author: Mr. Polisner founded alonovo.com in March of 2005. He has been working in most aspects of Information Technology since 1981 and was an early commercial adopter of the UNIX operating system. Prior to founding alonovo.com, George was a Director at Oracle Corporation. He is a frequent contributor to newspapers regarding political and economic policy and often appears as a guest on radio programs. In fact, when it comes to alonovo.com, it's pretty difficult to get him to stop talking. George is also available for speaking engagements.