A Tiny Ripple of Hope

Forty years ago today, in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee. All across America, cities were burned as hundreds of of Blacks -- angry and frustrated over the loss of their beloved leader -- lashed out against years of injustice and bigotry.

That night, in one city where violence was expected but did not erupt, Robert F. Kennedy, gave an unplanned, unwritten and amazing speech calling for calm and understanding at a time when fear and anger abounded. Kennedy pleaded with the mostly Black crowd not to resort to violence and to instead pick up the baton that King had handed to them in order to continue his work for peace and racial and economic justice:

"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

In other words, one small, seemingly insignificant act, word or event can start a revolution.

Over the years -- especially after Ronald Regan began to dismantle the social safety nets that were constructed to protect the poor, elderly, the children, the disabled, etc. -- we've wondered when Americans (as Tracy Chapman predicted) would finally rise up against injustice:

"Poor people gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people gonna rise up
And take whats theirs"

With the economy spiraling downward, an illegal war raging in Iraq, record job losses, foreclosures at an all time high, a crisis in health care and education, with criminals holding the highest offices in government with little or no outcry or oversight from Congress and the media, finally and at last, we're talkin' about a revolution.

By "revolution" we do not mean a gigantic social conflagration. We are not advocating a violent revolt. Instead, we dream of a revolution resulting from an ever growing dissatisfaction with an oppressive status quo. This dissatisfaction (we hope) will exert so much pressure on the political and economic system that is currently so incredibly unjust that it will crumble from the force and the numbers of those who are no longer willing to accept systemic injustice.

Are we seeing that revolution now? Is the Obama candidacy an example of a new kind of revolution? How else to explain a phenomena whereby millions of poor and disenfranchised American's have pooled their otherwise paltry economic resources to support a grassroots candidate who has managed to become a front-runner in a race for the highest office in the land?

Especially when you consider the odds against such a thing happening.

Of course there are those who believe that Obama's campaign is not actually a "bottom-up" phenomenon. They suspect that there is a nefarious and powerful force that has propelled Obama from obscurity to top-ranking presidential candidate in just a few short years. Others believe Obama is beating Hillary Clinton in the primaries because the media and his supporters are misogynistic. Some believe Obama supporters have been mesmerized by his Svengali -- or even Hitleresque -- orating skills.

But in order for the above to be true, Jimmy Carter, Teddy Kennedy, Bill Richardson, Alice Walker, Caroline Kennedy and many other thoughtful and intelligent folks (including us) would have to be duped or in on the conspiracy. I can assure you we are not misogynistic, mesmerized or hypnotized, nor are we part of a grand conspiracy.

Could it be that voters are so accustomed to powerful political parties -- with the help of big corporate money, easily hacked-into voting machines and the media -- choosing our candidates for us that can not bring ourselves to believe in a real grassroots revolution?

After 7 years of Bush saying and doing whatever he wants while Congress and the media say and do nothing, American's may be suffering from "battered spouse syndrome."

Perhaps we have come to believe we deserve another abusive, political party annointed candidate who will rearrange a few chairs and perhaps do a few things differently but who will ultimately still be accountable to the big donors and party fat cats who paved his or her way to the presidency.

But what if a candidate manages to rise up from the grassroots -- supported by a majority of the people -- to overcome the party machine and win?

Will we join the revolution or belittle it?

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?