RE: “Revolution by the gun or by violence is a destabilizing force for nearly every facet of society. That’s why we built in the prospect for peaceful revolution and transfer of power to our system. If it seems like mere continuity that’s because that’s the point. Stable societies need continuity.

Reply: I love the whole idea of the 10th Amendment. If much more were decided at the state level, we would have 50 controlled experiments going at all times for any given concept. The people of each state could take notice of how their governance was going compared to that of other states and make need corrections. With us relying so heavily on the Federal Government to decide what is best for all of us, we miss out on having more choice and to be cynical about it, we allow the power brokers the opportunity to control our law making and revenue use at the national level. I call this a big mistake. All we have to do to improve our stake is to accomplish getting more decisions made at the state, county, city or citizen level.

Re: “This time they haven’t even offered us crumbs, just the opportunity to have a different colored puppet whose strings are pulled by all the same corporate interests.- lynx”

Reply: Punchy article and as you so adequately sum it up, the power brokers behind the scene will probably find Mr. Obama just as useful as a tool as has been done for so long before.

“This is what pisses me off about anarchists and the “none of the above” mentality. They use cynicism and jadedness as an excuse to basically do nothing but bitch and complain (and act like those two things are constructive activities) that things aren’t exactly like they want them to be.”

You assume that people who vote are typically politically active and engaged during the rest of the year and that people who refuse to buy into the electoral system are not. In my experience both assumptions are false.

“Are you telling me you didn’t want to vote for the Green party? Libertarian?”

That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I have fundamental disagreaments with both those parties, as well as the dems and the gop, on a long list of issues – starting with the esistance of the Nation State. I am fundamentally oppossed to the political system that they are running for seats in. Anarchists don’t refuse to vote for politicians because we’re whiny, we refuse to vote for politicians because we believe that the changes we seek cannot and will not be implemented by politicians.

You assume that the plantation would be better run if only the slaves were more vocal in demanding better overseers. We say that the fact we are living on a plantation and have overseers at all is a problem. Electing lesser evils does nothing to move us towards the ultimate goal – abolishing the owners, the overseers and the plantation itself and setting up a coperative democratically run community of equals in its place – so it doesn’t make sense to put energy into attempting to do so.

Incidentally, it’s also false to assume that the only two choices are voting for politicians or picking up a gun and shooting people. There may well come a time when violent revolution is the only option left, but at this particular place and time I’m much more in favor of building strong, independant and a-political working class organizations that are completely independant of political parties and the State and can provide a vehicle for change that doesn’t rely on either of them. At the point where such organizations exist and can provide viable alternatives to the State we can begin the long hard work of rendering the existing authoritarian institutions irrelavant and then ddismantling them. That’s not going to be easy, but it’s far more empowering and productive then pouring time, energy, and money into endless campaigns for politicians who – at the end of the day – represent themselves far more then they represent the rest of us. I think it’s safe to assume Seanimal was referencing when he said we should put faith in ourselves – and our own independant autonomous institutions – instead of in politicians.

That’s not an easy proccess. As I said in my original post “we’ve got a lot of work left to do before we can put any real viable alternative into practice.” But very few things that are truly worthwhile are easy.

Yeah, because that word doesn’t make you sound like a 13 year old wannabe revolutionary.

“who have hope in a politician instead of placing hope in themselves”

Who says we don’t have hope in ourselves? Now we can at least feel like the forces that are generally out of our own direct control are not going to pile on too much more bullcrap. Maybe. I mean, that’s what hope is about, a maybe.

This is what pisses me off about anarchists and the “none of the above” mentality. They use cynicism and jadedness as an excuse to basically do nothing but bitch and complain (and act like those two things are constructive activities) that things aren’t exactly like they want them to be. Are you telling me you didn’t want to vote for the Green party? Libertarian? I mean, if you really want to change anything you have to participate. “None of the above” is just a concession to forfeit your agency to effect any kind of change at all, regardless of how superficial it is in the end. It all adds up. Like the guy above said. Change comes slowly. That’s how it works. Societies don’t generally like swift violent changes. Revolution by the gun or by violence is a destabilizing force for nearly every facet of society. That’s why we built in the prospect for peaceful revolution and transfer of power to our system. If it seems like mere continuity that’s because that’s the point. Stable societies need continuity.

I feel about the same way as ye about this whole situation. I wonder when the sheeple who have hope in a politician instead of placing hope in themselves will wake up and realize Obama and McCain are just Rothchild puppets and the election is nothing more then a game show. “The price is right” ironic game show no?

I hate to say , even though I do not like the guy (or any politician for that matter) I wish no harm to him yet im afraid something tragic is going to come down. It will create race riots, then TPTB can declare bush’s favorite tactic “martial law” disarm the american public. Prisoners in our own country.

One last thing, I found this hillarious. Yesterday I saw a guy holding a sign saying “Obama is a commie” shows how stupid humans are, Obama is no Communist, A Communist with privilege is no communist at all. He might however be a Stalinist, well McCain is a Stalinist as well.

Hey AMERICANS FOR OBAMA! You have two choices for president!
WOOHOO SO MUCH HOPE! Please get off the dope!

Two choices, thats one more choice then a dictatorship, ahh so good to see demonacracy has came so far.

History has shown that the power behind the throne in this plutocracy will have a lot to do with what happens in the next 4 years.

My expectation:

“Los ricos mas ricos. Los pobres mas pobres. Movilizate!”

The VAF is organizing with local communities of interest against a proposed ICE detention center [concentration camp] in Farmville, VA.

The min. wage is low, rents are increasing, and jobs are dissappearing. Still, the antibellum south voted for the ‘publicans.

“La lucha continua!”

Scott R.
WSA and VAF (personal capacity)
Front Royal, VA

Progess is always slow… we will find nivarna someday.

love you so very much.

jackie
xx