Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Ground Zero for racist hate

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

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Ground Zero for racist hate

from Socialist Worker.

As shocking as the behavior of the right has been, the spinelessness of political leaders who claim to stand against racism and for tolerance has been equally infuriating.

A few days after Obama spoke out of both sides of his mouth, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid issued a statement declaring that "the mosque should be built someplace else." And there's Howard Dean, the supposed "liberal maverick" of the 2004 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, who said the Islamic center would be "a real affront to people who lost their lives, including Muslims," on September 11.