Monday, January 15, 2007

 
Participatory Democracy – The lens of history:

Preface: Based upon a conversation I had recently, I was reminded that every entity and organization that has behaved a certain way will keep behaving in the same manner, and to expect a group or organization with a specific interest to change is unrealistic.

The beauty of my wonderful country is that, no matter how bad things get, the American people can always take back the power and stop those who seek to damage our country, because we live in a Participatory Democracy. This concept stopped the Vietnam War. It stopped Richard Nixon. It has the power to bring about seismic change in a very short period of time.

Our Participatory Democracy is used by the voices of individual Americans when we stand together as an overwhelming force for positive change. Our individual and collective voices have changed the world. So has how we spend or withhold our dollars. Americans have power when they speak with their wallets as well as their voices.

The following essays are ideas of how to engage our Participatory Democracy today:

Hindsight and Factual Sources like Documentaries:

I feel that it's amazing the perspective hindsight can give us when we focus on the right things. Even something you might have seen and thought you remembered might surprise you taking a second look in hindsight.

The American mass media can no longer use the "terrorism demon" to keep Americans afraid of something so vague the media itself becomes the terrorist. They can no longer make Iraq look good for anyone involved. Even Wal-Mart cannot make themselves look like anything other than the blight on our communities they are.

If an American started a group and invited people to watch a documentary once a week, one that has already been released like "Fahrenheit 9/11," take notes if they like, and then discuss it with the perspective of all that has happened since.

Remind us that "The Patriot Act" still stands as the law of the land; and the decades long chummy relationship with the Bin laden family, the Saudi Royal Family, The Taliban from Afghanistan, the Bush family, The Carlyle Group, James Baker, Enron, Halliburton, and even Saddam himself when he was America's golden boy and Iraq was a stabilizing force in the Middle East.

Now "the lipstick is off the pig," as they say down in Texas, we can see the duplicity and the anti-American behavior of these people. Hindsight can serve a purpose today. These facts can form the basis of the questions your average American wants to start asking.

"What is the relationship between 9/11, the Bush family, and the American oil industry?"

"Why haven't these things, as well as the behavior of our government in the prosecution of the Iraq war been investigated."

And most importantly statements like:

"I want these formal investigations to begin immediately with subpoenaed witnesses testifying under oath, Congressperson."

"I want the full restoration of federal, state and local oversight."

"I want the so-called "Patriot Act" repealed, along with all the other laws passed against American citizenry under the guise of the roundly abusive "War On Terror."

"I want the SEC to start doing its job again."

"I want the politicians out of the decision-making arm of the FDA, the CDC and other federal agencies, and the libraries for these vital federal institutions reopened and fully funded so our American civil servants can protect us from things like infectious diseases and ecological disasters."

Then watch another documentary the next week and form questions and letters for our newly elected representatives, the specific politicians we elected because they were not part of the Washington scene before last November. Even an email may be effective if it asks definitive questions or demands direct avenues of investigation.

Here's a list of documentaries I would personally recommend:

1. "Fahrenheit 9/11."
2. "Bowling For Columbine."
3. "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's Private War On Journalism."
4. "An Inconvenient Truth."
5. "Who Killed The Electric Car."
6. "Why We Fight."
7. "Is Wal-Mart Good For America?"

I highly recommend both current and archived presentations of the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) series; "Frontline." This is one of the finest news organizations in America and their archives can be viewed for free online. You can also purchase copies of a particular show on DVD if you wish to share it. "Frontline" has been reporting on important issues for over 20 years.

This is the first post in a series I'm going to write on our Participatory Democracy, reminders that we need to stand up and take back the power from those who have abused it, and the American people, so badly.

It's long past time for us to stand together and say "Enough!"

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