What can WE THE PEOPLE DO at times like this??!!!!

[Terran1212]

Look, we had more than 10 million people come out against the war in Iraq in February 15, 2003. Not only did some of these demonstrations stop their resident countries from giving their OK to the war, but they also had many of their countries pull out later (like Poland and Spain).

3 million French citizens protesting, about 5 percent of their total population, caused their government to step back on a measure it said it would never change.

And now we have a huge latino-based rights movement for undocumented immigrants.

So what are we -- AMERICANS -- going to do?

We tell everyone we are the top of democracy and freedom and 1776 and the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence and Constitution (but don't worry about its destruction, the President doesn't) but LOOK at us:

- 45 million Americas without healthcare

- Real wages dropping for 30 years

- Ever growing joblessness, poverty, and homelessness

And we have in office a bunch of Plutocratic Republicans who don't seem to care WHAT the people say, they'll just continue to sell out our country to the highest bidder and pursue the most inflammatory and maybe the most murderous (if we DO start aggression towards Iran) foreign policy we ever had -- and the DEMS, all they do is worry about the next election and hyping these "centrist" candidates that everyone knows will not be able to solve anything.

What can we DO as far as REAL DEMOCRACY to get this country back on track, respecting the rights and values of our own citizens and those of people far away who we may be bombing or occupying at any time?

Is this American Democracy? Where the people cry out and the leaders do nothing?

What can WE THE PEOPLE DO at times like this??!!!!

[joemurphy]

1. We try to vote them out of office in November.

If that doesn't work, we start pulling up the cobblestones and throwing them at judicious targets.

[marmar]

2. Personally, I think it's going to take more than protest marches...

It's going to take some major civil disobediance, work stoppages, etc ... things that can really disrupt the operation of a country, ala France, Italy and other countries in Europe, Latin America etc. The high everyone gets after a big war protest is great, but the effects seldom last more than that day, and BushCo knows that.

[Terran1212]

3. So how do we build that kind of movement? We need it badly

[marmar]

5. That's the $1 million question...

I don't know how you shake Americans off their asses and into action. People bitch and complain and do absolutely nothing. I know people at work who will ramble on and on about how awful BushCo is, but when I ask them to go to a protest, or lecture, or voter information program with me, they're always busy.
As much as I blame BushCo for the mess we're in, the apathy of Americans is just as much to blame.
The progressive movement needs some kind of charismatic leader, someone who can organize these events and inspire people to get involved. MLK, you are truly missed!!! :cry:

[Terran1212]

6. If everyone who felt that the Right was wrong got active constantly

We could get anything we wanted in this nation. End to occupying and bombing other nations immediately, living wages, healthcare, runoff voting...

[marmar]

7. Absolutely...

The majority of people don't share the extreme right ideology that's running this country right now. But waking the sleeping giant is a difficult task.

[Terran1212]

8. If the people are not vigilant all of democracy will just be sold out...

while they are watching American Idol.

Why has democracy succeeded in France or among the undocumented workers but not among Americans who jingoistically claim to be the most democratic and free nation on earth? What is the key?

[marmar]

9. "who jingoistically claim to be the most democratic"

So true. These are the same people who will quickly give up civil liberties and believe any line their government feeds them, no matter how suspect it sounds.
Perhaps Americans still are too comfortable, although that's changing quickly. If this assault on the working and middle classes continues, and people can't afford their $20-a-week Starbucks habits (I'm implicating myself there) and 250-channel digital cable TV packages anymore, they'll get out into the streets.
Howard Zinn said that it takes a while sometimes, but eventually, the people will wake up.

[Warpy]

4. Right now? Talk.

Every time you mention something in public you legitimize the uneasy feeling people have been trying to suppress while the blowdried bobbleheads on the evening news do their happy talk about how great everything is with this idiot in office. Legitimizing those feelings of cognitive dissonance is very important.

If we want action in the future, we've got to start building a consensus for it now. This is how we start.

[jbm]

10. I think we have to start at the beginning...

A few weeks ago several experiences came together and the light finally dawned on me that the Democratic party is not going to save us from ourselves. The trouble is that all the power has shifted to the moneyed interests, and the people have traded their power for apathy. We have to shift power back into the hands of the people, and demand economic balance.

There may be lots of ways to do that, but I only know one way. I'm a committee person, so I started going door to door to every house in my territory. I told them I was their dem committee person, but I wasn't there on behalf of the dems. I told them I was there because there has been to low of a voter turnout to offset the moneyed interests, and the country really needs them right now. The other committee person started on the other side of the area, and together we have already assembled a list of 600 firm votes that I truly believe we can count on. I am not totally naive. I did this for Kerry and many of the people I had thought would vote didn't, but what we're doing now is more personal, and feels more like a coalition of people then a dem/repub thing.

The REAL catch is, it will be a cold day in hell before I turn the list over to the dems, or to any other member of an organized power structure. We talked about it, and we gave the list to a guy named Junior. He lives in the area, everybody respects him, he's as honest as they come, and any politician who wants 600 (and counting) guaranteed votes is going to have to go see Junior. I'm pretty sure if Junior doesn't like you, you're not going to get to know how to get the votes no matter how much money Wal-Mart contributed to your campaign. We still have half the precinct left to visit, so we're hoping to wind up closer to 1200 votes eventually. Then we'll start on the rest of the town.

I truly don't know what else to do except to start at the beginning.

[BeFree]

11. Head for the hills

We are no longer a democracy.

In a democracy, the people elect their representatives with the vote.

The vote has been stolen, so we no longer live in a democracy.

And since everyone has gotten over our votes being stolen, the hope for democracy has vanished. For our votes will be stolen again, and again, and again.