Surviving Capitalism (Not) : One million signatures filed to recall Wisconsin governor

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, January 18, 2012

One million signatures filed to recall Wisconsin governor

Click here to access article by Patrick Martin from World Socialist Web Site.

The main point that the other makes is this:

The recall campaign itself, however, is a deliberate political diversion, engineered by the unions, to shut down the protest campaign and block any independent action by the working class, including a general strike.

And, I think it is perfectly valid. The legal-governmental machinery of the capitalist state is designed to serve the interests of the One Percent. One of their fundamental interests is to contain dissent. If activist movements pursue actions within their legal frameworks, they can only expect frustration. I'm not saying that they should never pursue such strategies. However, they should never be a primary strategy--which should always be organizing alternative institutions and undermining the capitalist regime.