Throw the Bums OUT!

The word “revolution” -- as long as it is prefaced by the word ‘American’ -- is a righteous concept. Remember your elementary school lessons on the American Revolution? For me, it conjures up images of a tattered ‘Old Glory’ waving over a smoldering ruin – and paintings of generals with white wigs posing nobly before a pastoral background.

Contrast these visions with those of other revolutions – of nefarious Latin American ‘death squads’ wreaking violence and havoc on poor, innocent villagers and/or dissidents throwing Molotov Cocktails at the bourgeoisie.

According to the philosopher, Hannah Arendt, “The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.” Which is exactly how we got where we are now!

So, lets have ourselves a good old fashioned American Revolution -- Act II!

Shortly after the American (and therefore only legitimate) revolution ended, it became necessary to begin the process of quietly dissuading citizens from acting on their constitutional right to overthrow the government if it ceased to represent them.

Despite our Constitutional right to overthrow a Government that is unresponsive to the people, America has become a mega-state, and the Constitutional understanding of power and the very ideals of democratic participatory citizenship have been rendered obsolete.

For a variety of reasons Americans no longer recognize that the power of the corporatist/capitalist government is mushrooming – and that democratic freedoms guaranteed to the people are slipping away. “Equality” and “Justice” are now just words on a bumper sticker – jobs, economic well-being – and even access to clean and unpolluted food and water are rapidly disappearing.

The solution, of course, is active citizenship. Participatory government – calling your elected officials, making demands of them and then – if they do not comply, remembering you are their boss and you have the right to throw the bums out.

A patriotic American citizen is a vocal and participatory member of the political decision-making process. And most of us are dissatisfied with the current office holders.

A June 8-11 poll found:

• 68% think the country is on the wrong track with only 19% believing the country is headed in the right direction.

• Bush’s approval rating is at 29% – one point above Carter’s low of 28% and just six points above Nixon’s record low 23%.

• Only 23% approve of the job that Congress is doing, despite the Democratic sweep in 2006.
  

• A majority of Americans are keenly aware that as their own economic status slides into the gutter, millionaires are becoming billionaires.
  

The wealthy and politically powerful are destroying the nation while, the rest of us – the unwashed masses -- continue to lose economic ground. It is truly a sick cycle we are in and someone needs to take drastic action to correct the course.

In an article in today's RainbowZine, Joel S. Hirschhorn writes:

"Why not dream about a restorative convention with hundreds of smart, patriotic Americans as delegates? We have enormous numbers of brilliant, wise and honest Americans – just not in politics anymore. If we can trust the lives of people to juries, we can trust carefully selected convention delegates to find intelligent ways to improve our government and political system through amendments. In the last part of the process, we can tell our state legislators whether we want them to ratify specific proposed amendments.

Will the first convention be mesmerizing and entertaining? Will it help educate and inform Americans about our Constitution and government? Will it put Ruling Class elites on notice that we the people are seriously pursuing governance we can trust? Yes, yes and yes.

Should we wait until 95 percent of Americans think the nation is on the wrong track? Until just 5 percent approve of Congress? Until we belatedly find ourselves boiled? No, no and no.

Support the effort to get the nation’s first Article V convention, especially if you sense our societal waters becoming hotter – sometimes faster, as under Bush. Sign up at www.foavc.org. Don’t let self-delusion and false hope in Republicans or Democrats blind you. Let freedom ring. Make Thomas Jefferson proud."

Why are we so afraid to rise up against the status quo that is hurting us and will continue to hurt our children and grandchildren even more?