Political effectiveness is an interesting thing. If we want to continue being politically effective, we have to change. And it's going to be hard.
Because changing politics involves changing minds, and that's a lot of work. It involves changing attitudes, especially about what politicians are paid to do, and who really pays them.
And I can tell you who pays them the most; it's the most recession-proof industries of all, and the ones who spend the most money.
It's time to kill the most sacred cow of all, and it's called "defense".
People here don't seem to see the most obvious things; let me help you. I've been told that "there's not a lot of pacifists on the site"; a total change of reasoning is needed, a willingness to really see the main problem that we face, and that is that the military-industrial complex is not suffering where everybody else is. Don't you wonder about that? Do you ever ask yourself why military industries are prospering when there's so much unemployment? You better start asking yourself this question, because it's the biggest question facing us today.
I think that there's a big illusion at work here; and that's that the government is those people in Washington. I would like to point out that revolutions all over the world, whether good or bad, remind us that this is not true. Government is not the people in the capital; government is "we, the people".
It is we who decide how we will be governed, and it is we who let our politicians govern, after we elect them. They are the expression of our will, and their actions are the expressions of our will as well.
I am reminded of the man who bought a brand-new RV, set the cruise control, and then walked back to make himself a sandwich, then was surprised when the RV crashed. We're surprised because the politicians that we elect act like politicians.
We have to get a lot more active before the politicians that we elected will follow our orders. when FDR was asked to do something, he said:
"I want to do this; NOW MAKE ME."
Some have said that there is a revolution happening; well, it is.
The first phase of this revolution is to have a strong antiwar movement. That way, we will stop the prime cause of our lack of money. Until this is done, nothing will happen. This is like a patient dying from loss of blood, and the doctor wants to give them a pain killer. Go back and read about the Case-Church amendment. That was brought about because of popular action, action by "we, the people."
Voting is not enough. Any revolution has to start from the grassroots. Any political action has to be stimulated by action from the grassroots. If we expect the administration in Washington to do anything other than serve the corporate interests, we have to get much more active, much more effective, and much more vocal. The tea party has shown us the way. They got really loud and obnoxious; we have to do the same. They showed up at all of the rallies and all of the town meetings; we have to do the same. They actually took the time to get off their butts and show up with signs; we have to do the same. Some of them showed up with weapons; I'm not saying we have to show up with guns, but we do have to show up with our most powerful weapon; the truth, a truth that neither we nor the politicians that we elect can ignore.
Because unless we commit ourselves to stopping the wars that are draining our economy, that are the true cause of the lack of money to do anything about our education, our infrastructure and our social causes, nothing is going to happen.
And unless we, the people, start facing the fact that the military-industrial complex has stolen our country, they will continue to steal it. With the help of the politicians that we elected.
Have a nice day.