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, April 1, 2020

Posts that I especially recommend today: Tuesday, March 31, 2020

My commentary to both above articles: To be sure, the pandemic is wrecking havoc on the capitalist system (neoliberalism is only the current developmental phase); but as effective as the pandemic will be in damaging the capitalist system, it looks to me that it is only a dress rehearsal for the inevitable extinction of most life on our planet Earth due to global warming caused by excessive and obsessive industrial that capitalism demands. The cessation of industrial activities during this pandemic will only hasten rising temperatures as explained by Guy McPherson. But at least this pandemic makes it possible in the near future for humans to gain greater dignity by realizing that their economic system is responsible for this cataclysmic end. I believe that this realization is the best we can hope for, and humans can partially redeem themselves if they can establish socialist institutions in socialist societies before their demise.                                                                          
  • Brave Republican Stands Against Stimulus ALONE. This post features an agitated Jimmy Dore who is struggling with disillusionment over so-called progressives in a political system that was constructed by the ruling capitalist class. But he is making progress to come up with some more effective strategies to attack this class and for the benefit of workers. If you like this post, you might be interested in another post by Jimmy Dore who shows what's now happening in Sicily could easily happen in the USA.