Syria started as demonstrations against an autocratic government by peace
loving people and was turned into something else by outside forces. The country
is being destroyed. Huge numbers of refugees have had to leave. The US is
stealing the oil and preventing the people from being fed. None of the other
countries that you've mentioned have fared well except for Cuba and in order
for them to survive, the government had to run an almost police state. Vietnam?
What is it now except a vassal of the west because the US dollar rules the
world. The new, hopeful development is that Russia and China are beginning to
gather other countries and set up a financial competition against the US so
that they can be more independent politically. And you see what the result is.
The US is now inflating its war machine in order to remain the dominant power
in the world. What you have written is the set of theoretical concepts which
guide the socialist movement and they sound beautiful and rational. I can
understand why people dedicate their lives to them. They bring order to a
chaotic world.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Thursday, April 8, 2021 9:41 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: today's episode of Economic Update
Miriam wrote: "Sure, angry people can rise up, but the kind of power that will
be used against them is very different now."
It is not a matter of angry people rising up. Again, it is a matter of
taking steps to secure their rights and to defend themselves. Again,
when anyone sees that some people have power and privilege and use that
power to maintain that situation and to manipulate them a certain amount
of resentment builds up and the ones who do not have the power and
privilege will take steps, peaceful steps, to attain justice. Not only
is the effort peaceful, but it is most likely to be perfectly legal
according to the laws of their oppressors. Depending on how many people
are involved and depending on how much pressure is exercised it may even
have some success. In fact, the concessions and the take backs may
happen over a long period of time. But it is when enough success has
been accomplished by the seekers of justice that the people with the
power and privilege see that they are in actual danger of being deposed
that all hell breaks loose. The ones who are fighting for justice do not
want to be shot at. They do not seek to be shot at or to shoot other
people. But they do defend themselves when they are attacked and that is
when a revolution happens. There may be adventurists who try to
circumvent this process, but adventurist movements fail because they do
not have the masses behind them and the rulers can easily squash them.
As for the power that can be used against them, well, look at some of
the places in the world where armed conflict has broken out recently.
The Syrian rulers have some pretty impressive power to use too and they
have been using it, but a civil war still broke out. Of course it is not
and never was a socialist revolution, but, like I said, the revolution
is what is inevitable. It has to be made a socialist revolution if it is
going to be a socialist revolution. Look to Vietnam. Look to Algeria.
Look to Cuba. Look to the Congo. All relatively recent and with a lot of
deadly power to use against any revolution, but that did not stop the
revolution from happening. It is kind of like having a hurricane bearing
down on you. You can't stop it. It is going to be destructive whether
you like it or not. But those who prepare for it fare better than those
who claim that hurricanes are impossible and do nothing about it. And a
hurricane is not an uprising by angry people or angry forces of nature.
___
Carl Sagan “It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance
between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all
hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great
openness to new ideas. Obviously those two modes of thought are in some
tension. But if you are able to exercise only one of these modes,
whichever one it is, you’re in deep trouble. If you are only skeptical,
then no new ideas make it through to you. You never learn anything new.
You become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is ruling the
world. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every now
and then, maybe once in a hundred cases, a new idea turns out to be on
the mark, valid and wonderful. If you are too much in the habit of being
skeptical about everything, you are going to miss or resent it, and
either way you will be standing in the way of understanding and
progress. On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility
and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot
distinguish the useful as from the worthless ones.” ― Carl Sagan
On 4/8/2021 9:04 PM, Miriam Vieni wrote:
I understand what you are saying and what you've said in the past. But thingsup, but the kind of power that will be used against them is very different now
are very different now than they were. Sure, angry people can rise
of revolutions have happened throughout history. We can look at them and see
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Thursday, April 8, 2021 8:22 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: today's episode of Economic Update
Revolutions are inevitable though. We have the historical record that shows
it. And it is not just that the historical record shows that a bunch
new ideas. Obviously those two modes of thought are in some tension. But if you
___
Carl Sagan “It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between
two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are
served up to us and at the same time a great openness
You become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is ruling theworld. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every now and
episodes, is worker cooperatives. Now we have a bit of a problem the nameWhat he didn't talk about, is how to get from where we are to what he's
describing. And all he was talking about, and has talked about in other
everyone an employee of the state because it is a long range goal to actually
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
<blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> On Behalf Of Roger Loran Bailey
(Redacted sender "rogerbailey81" for DMARC)
Sent: Thursday, April 8, 2021 3:43 PM
To: blind-democracy <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: today's episode of Economic Update
I have not listened to that episode that you refer to, but based on what you
say you have learned from it that is what I have been trying to tell you all
along. For one thing, of course it is not a program for making
hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness
___
Carl Sagan “It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance
between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all
mark, valid and wonderful. If you are too much in the habit of being skepticalYou become a crotchety old person convinced that nonsense is ruling the
world. (There is, of course, much data to support you.) But every now and
then, maybe once in a hundred cases, a new idea turns out to be on the
about, today.Richard Wolff described his understanding of Marxism in this episode
and I'd suggest that anyone who has read Marx, listen to what he says.
I have not read Marxist theory, or perhaps I read samples of it in
college courses. But given the fact that I attended college from 1955
to 1959 while the cold war was at the center of our country's
consciousness, it's doubtful. As Wolff remarks, he studied Economics
and History at three Ivy League colleges and his highly competent
professors wouldn't touch the subject with a ten foot pole. However,
what I learned today from Wolff is that the theory focuses on the
class conflict that is inherent in the capitalist workplace and the
solution implied, is worker cooperatives rather than
employer/employee arrangements. The theory does not involve state
socialism because if the state is the employer, the same
employer/employee conflict may result. It has nothing to do with
government control or government ownership. That is what Economic Update
was
Miriam.