in the time remaining, to help us understand how the man-made system of capitalism will lead to the extinction of our human species, and so many others.
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
Monday, December 1, 2014
The Broader Implications Of The Events In Ferguson, Mo.
Of course, the real "death figure" is the rule by a tiny elite whose arrangement of society includes their private ownership of the economy which, in turn, gives them power over all institutions including the police and courts. It is in their interest to promote racism, to instill fear in some people from the threat of others, as a strategy to divide and control the American people.
After all, it worked very well in the Middle East where Sunnis and Shias have been killing each other since the US invasion. The British found this useful in Ireland by pitting Catholics against Protestants, and in India by pitting Muslims against Hindus. It's an old strategy used by ruling classes down the ages.