Good Valentine's Day, Bob, Frank and Cupid,
Frank wrote: "The ruling class owns the guns and the cops. Any
revolution will be put down. What we need is quiet evolution."
I certainly agree that a violent revolution would cost far too many
lives, and do long term damage to our nation's infrastructure.
Before we come to that, quiet evolution needs to be explored and
efforts made to return power to the Masses.
Of course, such an effort will be met with the same resistance as
would a full scale revolution. But the advantage would be to provide
time to plan a better form of rule than the Corporate Capitalism we
are now forced to accept.
Democracy, with a small d, does work in many communities such as local
council meetings, town meetings, parent teacher meetings. Worker
owned businesses are on the rise, too. Check them out. Many are far
more productive than those companies being controlled by a small
number at the top.
Nonetheless, even as we see some interesting experiments and some
small gains, Donald Trump, the Figurehead of the American Corporate
Empire(ACE), continues leading his Merry Band of Billionaires in their
plundering of our Public Monies and Lands. Stealing from the Poor and
Giving to the Rich. A true Orwellian illustration of the corruption
of all that we hold near and dear.
Most troubling to me is the clamping down on our freedom of speech.
Broadcasting networks, already serving their wealthy owners interests,
are being merged into fewer and fewer outlets, controlled by the
Empire's Rulers. Newspapers are trimming their staffs, reducing field
reporters and laying off investigative journalists. Donald Trump's
budget proposal cuts deeply into many of what we have considered to be
America' Safety Net, including removing any federal support for NPR.
Donald Trump and his Bully Boy Billionaire Cabinet, given free reign,
will plunder the nation's resources and leave the Land Desolated by
2020. Even assuming the ineffectual Democrats "won" the White House
and took control of both Houses, the Supreme Court and hundreds of
lower court judges would still be in place, blocking any hope of
progress. The Democrats Billionaires will never rebuild this nation,
despite their mealy mouthed claims to the contrary. Handing over our
public offices to them will only slow the degree to which we are being
enslaved.
In my opinion, we have long ago lost the Federal Government. We do
still have the ability to force continuance of some vital programs
such as social security and medicare, but we need to begin building at
the ground level again. Change comes from below, never will change
trickle down from above. For example, and this is merely one small
activity, here on the Olympic Peninsula. We have two fairly
Progressive state representatives serving in Olympia. I receive
regular updates from both of them, and I circulate these to the five
organizations of blind people scattered among the several counties
these two reps serve. We invite them to our meetings, and let them
know our needs. We reach out to other disability organizations. We
believe our efforts are small, but important building blocks for the
future.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/14/18, Bob Hachey <bhachey@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi Frank,
Do you believe that current democratic leaders like Schumer and Pelosi want
to move to the left as you suggest? They had the chance to try that in 2009
and 2010 and didn't get it done.
Bob Hachey
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Frank Ventura
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2018 7:31 PM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: 75 Years Ago-some things never change!
Carl, the working class can never do that. The ruling class owns the guns
and the cops. Any revolution will be put down. What we need is quiet
evolution. Keeping pushing further to left and avoid the protest votes and
third party red herrings that the ruling class throws at us. Eventually if
we keep pushing further to the left the ruling class may be weak enough for
that revolution. Until then the best we can do is slow evolution.
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Tuesday, February 6, 2018 10:49 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: 75 Years Ago-some things never change!
"February 13, 1943
New demands for wage increases to equal rising living costs were voiced last
week by a number of union bodies."
Even as a boy of 8, I recall the Media Blitz on how unpatriotic Labor Unions
were. I mean, it was the "Good War", the Allies(Good Guys) versus the
Axis(Evil Guys). It was our duty to give our All to this Righteous Cause.
To lose would mean world enslavement. How dare Labor demand a living wage
in times like these! Many families dug up their front lawns and planted
"Victory Gardens", while most of us saved string, tinfoil, grease and rags.
We kids traveled the neighborhoods collecting newspapers for the War Cause.
On the Pacific Coast, we put Blackout shades on our windows and the city of
Seattle became a black hole at night. Boeing camouflaged their huge factory
so that it looked like just another neighborhood from the air.
And a couple of times each week we children would hear the air raid alarm
sound in the schools, and we would march into the hall and lay face down on
the floor with our heads against the outside wall, and our arms over our
heads...hoping that this was not the real thing.
One time there was a serious threat. Instead of marching into the halls, we
were told to "Run for Home as fast as our legs could carry us"! Of course
we arrived home, my two sisters and I, and found the house locked. Mother
was not home from her job in down town Seattle, and Dad was working at the
Bremerton Shipyard on the other side of Puget Sound. We huddled together on
the porch and plotted just what we would do if the Japs came rushing up the
hill and tried to capture us.
And all the time that our working class tightened our belts, went without
certain foods, faced food and gas rationing, all this time the Wealthy did
not suffer in the slightest. The War Industry raked in huge profits, mostly
through the sales of their war materials to the Allies, which meant that we,
the taxpayers footed the bill. And they cried foul when Labor demanded some
relief from the rising inflation.
In Seattle, most rentals increased 25% during the war years. No
reason other than the landlords could get away with it. But to ask
for a raise in pay? Why, that was UnAmerican.
Hmm...now that I look at today's news, nothing seems to have changed.
The Working Class is still the enemy of our nation. Just listen to Donald
Trump, suggesting that it is an act of Treason to disagree with His Edicts.
We finally did learn that the so called "Good War" was not so good at all.
The "Good War" is yet to come when the working class rises up and removes
the corrupt Oligarchy now controlling America.
Carl Jarvis
On 2/5/18, Roger Loran Bailey <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://themilitant.com/2018/8206/820643.html
The Militant (logo)
Vol. 82/No. 6 February 12, 2018
25, 50 and 75 Years Ago
February 12, 1993
As Washington’s occupation of southern Somalia nears the end of its
second month, the U.S. military unleashed its firepower against forces
loyal to ousted Somali dictator Mohamed Siad Barre that were
threatening to seize control of the port city of Kismayo.
In the capital city of Mogadishu, where thousands of U.S. troops are
deployed, shootings of Somalis have become virtually a daily
occurrence as the U.S. military has begun actively organizing a new
police force there.
With nearly 40,000 troops currently under U.S. command now in Somalia,
UN and U.S. officials continue to discuss plans for replacing U.S.
troops with a 20,000-strong UN force.
According to [UN] special envoy for Somalia Ismat Kittani, the new UN
military force will probably be in Somalia for “not months but years.”
February 12, 1968
The massive National Liberation Front offensive against most of the
occupied cities of South Vietnam opens a new stage of the Vietnamese
revolution. The revolutionary forces demonstrated that they can
challenge U.S. and Saigon armies for control of practically every
square inch of the land.
The world’s mightiest imperialist power has been dealt a stunning blow.
The blow is primarily political, although its immediate military
impact is considerable. Those who are carrying it forward have written
one of the most extraordinary and heroic pages in history.
The attack has already included “no less than 30 of South Vietnam’s 44
provincial capitals, as well as larger cities such as Saigon and
Danang, American installations and uncounted towns,” according to the
New York Times.
February 13, 1943
New demands for wage increases to equal rising living costs were
voiced last week by a number of union bodies.
The growing pressure for wage raises is based on opposition to the
administration wage policy embodied in the Little Steel formula of the
War Labor Board, which bans increases of more than 15% over Jan. 1941
wage levels, although living costs have risen almost twice the 15%
figure during this two-year period.
The United Mine Workers policy committee decided to request $2 a day
wage increases for their 450,000 bituminous coal workers. It is
expected that the union will ask for a similar raise for its 88,000
anthracite miners.
The head of the UMW policy committee pointed out that “an increase of
42% on the wholesale prices of articles essential to family
maintenance cannot be ignored.”
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