Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Purchasing Prisoners, Creating Criminals & How Occupy Could be Next

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

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Purchasing Prisoners, Creating Criminals & How Occupy Could be Next

Click here to access article by Arvind Dilawar from The Occupied Wall Street Journal.

With the current push to decriminalize marijuana possession which could dramatically cut the number of prisoners, corporate operated prisons will need to look elsewhere for inmates. See the article entitled, "Prison Stocks: What Happens When Marijuana Is Legalized?"

The author of this piece suggests that investors among the One Percent need not worry if they own stocks in these corporations: they are currently very busy with their bags of money influencing your state and Congressional representatives. But maybe activists should.

I have been very puzzled by efforts of officials underway in my state of Washington to legalize the use of marijuana. It seems to me that one could be forgiven if they thought there might be a connection between legalization efforts and anticipated imprisonment of activists.