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, August 19, 2018

The fires this time: Implications for ecosocialist strategy

Click here to access article by Richard Smith from Climate & Capitalism.

The author has contributed so much to alerting the public to the death trajectory that capitalism is taking all of us. His strength is his study of economics which has informed his view that the capitalist system and a habitable planet are on a collision course

However, I think his present weakness is promoting the Democratic Socialists of America as offering a solution. I've always found the latter to be an inconsistent critic of capitalism and often willing to offer only token actions to counter its influence. I think that nothing less than an organized revolutionary movement can put a stop to this death spiral. The time to offer only individualistic passive solutions is at an end (for example, see this). It's time to get serious. That is why I have proposed one.

The rule of capitalist ruling classes, especially under the leadership of the US-led Empire, is built upon a mountain of lies. I have noticed an increasing frequency of deceptive reports spread by their corporate media, and likewise, an increase of efforts to censor information that expose their lies. It appears that they are desperate to protect their mountain of lies, deceptions, false-flags, psyops, etc. I am convinced that the most effective way to weaken and ultimately destroy that mountain is a movement committed to telling the truth. This will have to be organized from the ground up by people who see the urgency of taking effective action.