We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Vancouver Olympics: Public anger over security measures and free speech limits

from World Socialist Web Site. The article's report illustrates how local capitalists use athletics (Olympics) and patriotism to profit from while public services are cut back, and civil liberties are undermined. In spite of their media efforts to promote the Olympics, many Canadians see through the hype.